Xzavea Wommack-Johnson, left, and Kaitlyn Stallings are two High Point University graduates who received teaching assistantships in Spain through the North American Language and Culture Assistantships Program (NALCAP).
They are the Spanish program’s first NALCAP award recipients.
HIGH POINT, N.C., May 26, 2023 – Two High Point University graduates received teaching assistantships in Spain through the North American Language and Culture Assistantships Program (NALCAP).
Xzavea Wommack-Johnson will be teaching in Andalusia, Spain. She majored in Spanish and human relations and served as vice president of HPU’s chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the national collegiate Hispanic honor society.
Kaitlyn Stallings, an HPU Honors Scholar and Fulbright semifinalist who majored in biology with a minor in Spanish, will be teaching in Madrid, Spain. Stallings was involved on campus with the Honors Scholar program, Phi Mu, a member of the Pre-Physician Assistant Club and three honors societies – Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Epsilon Delta and Sigma Delta Pi.
Both Wommack-Johnson and Stallings thanked their Spanish professor Dr. Adam Winkel for his engaging teaching, guidance and support, and Dr. James Cotton, director of the Office of Fellowships and Awards, for helping them with the application process.
“We are incredibly proud of Xzavea and Kaitlyn, our Spanish program’s first-ever NALCAP recipients,” said Winkel, associate professor of Spanish. “Their dedication to the study of the Spanish language and their enthusiasm for Hispanic cultures have prepared them for an incredible experience abroad.”
NALCAP is the flagship program of the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain, located in Washington, D.C., which builds ties between the United States and Spain by fostering collaborative educational programs. NALCAP partners with elementary and secondary schools in nearly every city and town across Spain to welcome American teaching assistants.
“I have always wanted to experience living abroad to explore new cultures and improve my fluency in Spanish,” said Stallings, who is from Millis, Massachusetts. “Additionally, studying abroad was one of my dreams coming into college, but because of the pandemic my opportunities to do so were very limited. NALCAP will allow me to fulfill these goals and expose me to the world of teaching.”
Teaching assistants immerse themselves in the language and culture of Spain while fulfilling the role of American cultural ambassadors. In the classroom, they broaden their students’ knowledge of American culture and the English language. NALCAP assistantships last from Oct. 1 to May 31.
“The NALCAP will benefit me throughout my life both professionally and personally,” said Wommack-Johnson, who is from Parsons, Kansas. “I am enthusiastic about sharing knowledge that engages both cultures for mutual understanding between our nations.”