By Lauren McClellan
Meeting ambassadors, participating in a EU-NATO seminar, traveling to London, Luxembourg and Brussels. These are all experiences of Fulbright student scholar Tschuna Gibson during her time abroad in Austria.
VCU alumna Tschuna Gibson is currently studying in Austria on a Fulbright scholarship. She is studying sustainable agriculture and alternative food networks at the University of Vienna. She is also teaching English at a public high school in Vienna.
Gibson graduated from The Honors College in 2012 with a dual degree in International Studies and Philosophy. She also minored in German.
Austria
Gibson said she chose to study in Austria because it is the number one organic farming country in Europe. The country was perfect for her desire to research sustainable agriculture.
“I had hoped to find a community organization with which to work, but I hadn’t expected to find such a vibrant community of students, academics, farmers and consumers committed to promoting sustainable, local food networks while advocating for EU-wide reform of agricultural politics, ” Gibson said. “I’ve learned so much from the people I’ve met.”
This is not the first time Gibson has studied in Austria. She spent her junior year studying abroad in Salzburg.
“The wonderful experiences that I had there are what motivated me to come back, ” Gibson said.
Gibson is currently studying at the University of Vienna. This semester, she is also studying at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. All of her studies are tailored around her research project that focuses on sustainable agriculture and alternative food networks.
Out of all her experiences in Vienna, Gibson enjoys her teaching job the most. She currently helps to teach students who range from 15 to 18 years old at a local public high school. Her teaching job has allowed her to share her perspective as an American while she learns about the world from a European and Austrian perspective.
“A large part of my job is to carry out the Fulbright mission of promoting ‘mutual understanding between people of the United States and people of other countries, ’ and I really think that I’ve been able to do so in my capacity as a teaching assistant.”
