W&L’s Samantha Carley ’22 Awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Georgia Carley will serve as an English language teaching assistant in a school in the former Soviet republic.

By Connie Okeke '23
May 18, 2022

Washington and Lee University senior Samantha Carley ’22 has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to teach English in Georgia, a country at the intersection of Europe and Asia. At W&L, Carley is double majoring in politics and Russian area studies and minoring in biology. Carley is a Springfield, Virginia, native and graduated from Pope St. John Paul the Great Catholic High School.

“I am looking forward to engaging with a country and culture I have come to admire so much while also using my knowledge and skills acquired at W&L to promote education and diplomacy abroad,” Carley said.

On campus, Carley participated in the Washington Term Program. She is currently the program’s teaching assistant. Carley also works as an editor for The Washington and Lee Political Review and is an officer in the Alexander Hamilton Society. She is a university ambassador and a member of the Chi Omega sorority and Kathekon, a student organization that aims to improve student-alumni relations. Outside of W&L, she volunteers with Rockbridge Area Recreational Organization’s youth softball program as a coach and umpire.

Carley believes her experiences during her undergraduate career at W&L have prepared her for this Fulbright program.

“I am excited to be able to use my teaching and coaching experience and linguistic background to teach in a country I have such appreciation for and, most importantly, live out my dream of serving the United States through diplomacy,” Carley said.

In the summer of 2021, Carley interned with Booz Allen Hamilton, a consulting firm, and worked on a U.S. Department of Defense contract.

After she completes her Fulbright ETA, Carley intends to explore opportunities in defense contracting, consulting or federal government service. She is also considering pursuing a master’s degree in biodefense.

Washington and Lee University is proud to be included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2021-2022 Fulbright U.S. Students for the fourth consecutive year.

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