{"id":25214,"date":"2025-09-16T21:12:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T21:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/?p=25214"},"modified":"2025-09-16T21:12:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T21:12:06","slug":"fulbright-hays-award-winning-doctoral-candidate-explores-cote-divoire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/2025\/09\/16\/fulbright-hays-award-winning-doctoral-candidate-explores-cote-divoire\/","title":{"rendered":"Fulbright-Hays award-winning doctoral candidate explores C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jessica Ayer, an Ed.D. student in the <\/span>Teachers, Schools and Society program<\/span><\/a>, had already chosen C<\/span>\u00f4<\/span>te d\u2019Ivoire (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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI chose C<\/span>\u00f4<\/span>te d\u2019Ivoire for my dissertation because I had a student whose family was from there,\u201d Ayer recalled. \u201cWhen I saw the Fulbright announcement online, it was the most serendipitous coincidence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

She became one of 14 award recipients to spend their last weeks of summer living at C<\/span>\u00f4<\/span>te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s University of San Pedro, learning to speak Bambara and building the foundation for curricular units focused on francophone Africa \u2013 the trip\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/education.ufl.edu\/news\/files\/2025\/09\/Jessica_Ayer.jpg” alt=”A person stands next to a tree in a lush forest environment, holding onto its trunk. They are dressed casually in a black t-shirt, grey pants, and black shoes, and are carrying a light-colored crossbody bag and some patterned cloth in their left hand. The ground is covered with leaves, and there are multiple trees and greenery in the background.” title_text=”Jessica_Ayer” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_divider color=”#CC4927″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-8px||-10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_line_height=”0.6em” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Jessica Ayer in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”15px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

During her stay, Ayer formed close friendships with the staff and students in one of the university\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those relationships provided additional opportunities for exploration in the area, including the group\u2019s involvement in multiple facets of cacao production. C<\/span>\u00f4<\/span>te d\u2019Ivoire is the largest producer of cacao beans, with nearly half of the world\u2019s supply exported from the West African country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe went to a cacao bean plantation and were able to participate in the traditional methods of making cacao powder,\u201d Ayer explained. \u201cWe even planted cacao tree seedlings. It was an incredible experience!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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