W&L’s Lily Nannini Awarded Fulbright to Germany Nannini was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Germany.
Washington and Lee University senior Lily Nannini ’25 has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to teach English in Germany. At W&L, Nannini is an English major with a minor in German. Nannini is a native of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and graduated from Nauset Regional High School.
The ETA program in Germany aims to strengthen educational and cultural relationships between the United States and Germany, with English Teaching Assistants teaching English language and American culture at all levels of German schools and facilitating projects that help students learn how to be global citizens.
For Nannini, the ETA is the next stop in a string of life-changing experiences made possible by W&L, and she is excited to explore her passion for teaching while immersing herself in a language and culture about which she cares so much.
Nannini arrived at W&L unsure of what she wanted her college years to look like, and never thought she’d be someone who could say her path “changed completely” during her four years on campus. However, the opportunities Nannini found at W&L to travel, meet new people and engage in hands-on learning profoundly shaped her life and ultimately led her to apply for — and accept — the ETA.
“I am beyond grateful for the opportunities afforded to me through W&L,” said Nannini. “The totality of all my experiences since coming here has given me the fondest memories of people and places. I always knew I wanted to travel and am grateful to not only myself for pursuing and continuing to pursue that passion, but also to W&L for helping that dream become a reality more times than I could have imagined.”
Nannini’s love for travel blossomed at W&L, beginning with her spending Spring Term her first year in Copenhagen, Denmark, a trip she says “served as the catalyst for what would become a career dream to keep traveling.” Nannini continued to study abroad every chance she could, spending Winter Term of her sophomore year in Vienna, Austria, and Winter Term of her junior year at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
At W&L, Nannini volunteered for Languages for Rockbridge, where she planned and taught German language and culture lessons to elementary students in Lexington. She found it “incredibly rewarding” to watch the students’ enthusiasm for learning German. She also served as a writer and photographer for The Experience Exchange, W&L’s student-run magazine that promotes social and environmental change. She contributed articles and photos from her time spent abroad to encourage individual connection to nature, and while studying in Austria, she received the Best Blogger of the Year Award from the Institute for the International Education of Students. Nannini was also involved in W&L’s pickleball club and appreciated the community that is fostered through a shared love for the sport.
Nannini is grateful to the mentorship she has received from W&L’s faculty and staff. She credits Cindy Irby, associate director of the Center for International Education and study abroad adviser, for making it possible to overseas and for helping her find and nurture a passion for travel. She appreciates how the Department of German provides a rewarding environment for its students and the support she received from her German adviser, Jaime Roots, visiting assistant professor of German. Nannini is also grateful to her English adviser, Kary Smout, associate professor of English, who inspired her to pursue an English major and helped her navigate credit requirements after spending two semesters abroad.
“When I met Lily, she was already a lively traveler, reader and writer who loved all three activities,” Smout said. “She has been a joy to work with as a student and an advisee, and I’m excited to see what teaching experiences she has in Germany and how this fellowship contributes to her future plans. She is the kind of young person who makes me grateful to teach at Washington and Lee.”
With the Fulbright award, Nannini will depart in September 2025 for her nine-month program. Upon completion of the program, Nannini plans to combine her love for travel and hospitality and pursue a career path that involves creativity and entrepreneurship. Her dreams include visiting all of the national parks in the U.S., opening a coffee shop inspired by the ocean and her favorite cafes abroad, and managing a rental property on the Cape in her home state of Massachusetts.
“As my time at W&L comes to an end, I can confidently say that I plan on traveling a lot more, exploring different cultures, meeting new people and figuring things out as I go, because it’s a lifestyle I have found through my time at W&L and something I can never let go,” Nannini said.
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Washington and Lee University is proud to be included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2024-2025 Fulbright U.S. Students for the seventh consecutive year.
The Fulbright Program was established more than 75 years ago to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Fulbright is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
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