Recent 大象视频 alumna Mckenzie Hughes 鈥�26, joined an exclusive shortlist this spring by becoming the 23rd student in College history to receive a award.
Come the fall semester, Hughes will join the Albert Schweitzer School in Nienburg, Germany, as an English teaching assistant.
鈥淚 love the German language. I think it鈥檚 beautiful, I love speaking it, I love learning it,鈥� Hughes said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I want to be a teacher or not, but I love helping students and seeing them grow, so I鈥檓 taking this year to really explore that as a potential career option.鈥�
Stepping Into the Classroom
The Albert Schweitzer School is a 鈥済ymnasium,鈥� which, Hughes explained, 鈥渋s like a U.S. high school, but more intense.鈥� Gymnasiums are Germany鈥檚 highest academic track before university, and they culminate in the 鈥淎bitur鈥� 鈥� a high school graduation exam that鈥檚 required to pursue higher education.聽
鈥淭hey spend countless hours studying for it,鈥� Hughes said. 鈥淧eople often say that the German Abitur is like an associate鈥檚 degree.鈥�
While Hughes is contracted to teach English alongside German instructors for 12 hours per week, she鈥檚 pursuing opportunities to also assist in other bilingual classrooms within academic areas she鈥檚 previously studied: history, politics, and other social sciences.
Hughes received her formal acceptance into the program in April 2026 鈥� less than a month before graduation 鈥� but the application process began last summer ahead of an Oct. 10, 2025, deadline.
Briana Lewis, associate professor of French and faculty liaison to the Center for Career and Professional Development, said the Fulbright program is very competitive, drawing applications from the strongest students across the country and awarding only a small fraction of those applicants.
鈥淜enzie came to us with a clear focus and sense of purpose, and an application draft that was already well thought-out, so we could provide the most effective support possible,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淥n average, one Allegheny student earns an award every few years, and it鈥檚 exciting to add Kenzie to that list!鈥�
Taking Passions Abroad
Hughes holds a bachelor of arts in international studies with minors in political science and German language. Her Senior Comprehensive Project, titled 鈥淔rom Rhetoric to Reform: Far-Right Populism鈥檚 Impact on Vocational Education and Training Policy in Western Europe,鈥� examined welfare policies in Germany and other European nations.
Hughes spent her sophomore year of college studying abroad in Germany, but she says her love for the nation 鈥� and her desire to spend time immersed in its culture after graduation 鈥� stems from a high school classroom in Mt. Lebanon, a suburb south of Pittsburgh.聽聽
鈥淲hen I was in ninth grade, we had someone come and present a program called 鈥楥ongress-Bundestag Youth Exchange鈥� 鈥� it鈥檚 a partnership between the U.S. government and the German government that sends high school students, college students and young professionals to Germany and vice versa,鈥� Hughes said.
At 14 years old, Hughes鈥� interest was overshadowed by the thought that she was too young to spend a year abroad, but her instructor, Frau Peg Meyers, knew that Hughes was capable of taking the program on.
Hughes applied, was accepted, and spent her sophomore year of high school in Grefrath and Frankfurt 鈥� a gymnasium similar to the one she鈥檒l teach at this fall.
While there, Hughes met students from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Russia, and Colombia, and all taught each other about their culture through the German language. That cultural exchange became irresistible.
During that time abroad, that was like something in my brain clicked,鈥� Hughes said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥業 want to do this for the rest of my life.鈥�
Looking Beyond Graduation
While Hughes鈥� Fulbright award only lasts one year, it comes with the potential for an additional year following the completion of a secondary application, which she plans on pursuing.
鈥淭hen, I want to get my Master鈥檚 Degree, and I would love to get it in Germany,鈥� Hughes said. 鈥淭he best way to describe what I鈥檓 interested in is political economy, and I鈥檝e been looking at a couple of different programs that would allow me to keep doing that in Germany.鈥�
Students who are interested in applying for Fulbright awards or other similar nationally competitive opportunities should reach out to the Center for Career and Professional Development.
鈥淚t鈥檚 best to reach out early 鈥� junior year isn鈥檛 too early for an opportunity after graduation,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淲e can talk through their options, think about strategies, and support them as they put applications together.