W&L’s Tuvshin Anderson ’25 Awarded U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria Anderson will teach English in Vienna before attending graduate school.
Washington and Lee University graduate Tuvshin Anderson ’25 has been awarded a U.S. Teaching Assistantship (USTA) to teach English in Austria. At W&L, Anderson double majored in history and German. Anderson is from Amherst, Wisconsin, and graduated from the Tomorrow River Schools District.
The USTA Program is administered by Fulbright Austria on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. Teaching assistants are placed in secondary schools throughout Austria to teach English language and linguistic skills, serve as informal cultural ambassadors, and promote mutual understanding between the United States and Canada.
Anderson is looking forward to gaining hands-on experience in the classroom while developing his own linguistic skills, interpersonal and leadership skills, and cross-cultural adaptability. He is also eager to return to Vienna, where he spent Fall Term of his junior year, studying the Habsburg Empire and its collapse, as well as the history of Eastern European minorities and ethnic groups.
“Returning to Vienna gives me the chance to dive back into its rich culture and history, while also giving back by helping Austrian students learn English,” Anderson said. “Learning a second language will open doors to new career and academic opportunities for them, just as it did for me when I chose to learn German.”
Anderson credits the opportunities afforded to him at W&L with helping him find his academic passions and discover the value of lifelong learning. Participating in the Virginia Program at Oxford during the summer of 2024 solidified his decision to pursue a master’s degree in architectural history or art history and reinforced his understanding of how education can serve as a fulfilling lifelong pursuit. In addition, taking the Land in Lakota Culture, Economics, and History course during Spring Term 2023, taught by Joseph Guse, professor of economics, and Harvey Markowitz, professor emeritus of anthropology, profoundly impacted him. The class opened Anderson’s eyes to the different ways to approach and understand history and taught him to pay attention to new perspectives as he continues his academic career.
Anderson is also grateful for the support he found at W&L and for his mentors in the Department of German and Department of History: He is thankful for Debra Prager, associate professor of German and department head, who served as his adviser and helped him navigate his studies; Sarah Horowitz, professor of history, who helped fuel his passion for European history; Paul Youngman, interim dean of the College and professor of German; Roger Crockett, professor of German; and Jaime Roots, assistant professor of German.
At W&L, Anderson served as vice president of the German Club his senior year, and was involved with Reformed University Fellowship, the Outing Club and the University Orchestra. He also worked at the Museums at W&L.
With the USTA, Anderson will depart in September 2025 for his nine-month program. Upon completion of the program, Anderson plans to attend graduate school and pursue his master’s degree.
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