Jessica Ayer, an Ed.D. student in the Teachers, Schools and Society program, had already chosen Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) as her dissertation focus when she discovered the opportunity to apply for the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad Award destined for the same country. As a French teacher for most of her career, Ayer wanted to create curricula focused on a French-speaking country other than France.
“I chose Côte d’Ivoire for my dissertation because I had a student whose family was from there,” Ayer recalled. “When I saw the Fulbright announcement online, it was the most serendipitous coincidence.”
Ayer began pursuing a doctorate from the College of Education in 2022. She credits her program with preparing her for the Fulbright application process, asserting that she would not have gotten the award without it.
She became one of 14 award recipients to spend their last weeks of summer living at Côte d’Ivoire’s University of San Pedro, learning to speak Bambara and building the foundation for curricular units focused on francophone Africa – the trip’s primary goal. Those units will one day be distributed by the American Association of Teachers of French, a national association that Ayer is a member of.
Jessica Ayer in Côte d’Ivoire
During her stay, Ayer formed close friendships with the staff and students in one of the university’s English classes. The Ivorians often joined the group of American teachers on excursions around the area, adding an element of cultural immersion that would not have been possible otherwise.
Those relationships provided additional opportunities for exploration in the area, including the group’s involvement in multiple facets of cacao production. Côte d’Ivoire is the largest producer of cacao beans, with nearly half of the world’s supply exported from the West African country.
“We went to a cacao bean plantation and were able to participate in the traditional methods of making cacao powder,” Ayer explained. “We even planted cacao tree seedlings. It was an incredible experience!”
Ayer says the trip was life-changing. She was particularly overwhelmed by the joy, kindness and generosity of her Ivorian friends, and the experience allowed her to reflect on American culture and her own standard of living through a unique lens. She is looking forward to seeing how her time overseas impacts her dissertation, her outlook on life, and her approach to teaching.
