High school teacher named to Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program

Pattonville High School English learner (EL) teacher Sarah Holtmeyer-Hollstrom has been selected as a Fulbright Teacher Exchange award recipient for 2025-2026 from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Hollstrom will participate in the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program, which prepares educators to bring an international perspective to their schools and classrooms. Through the program, she will complete an online graduate-level course focused on global education this fall, attend a Global Education Symposium in Washington, D.C. in February and take part in a two- to three-week international field experience coordinated by the U.S. State Department. 

Host countries change annually, and Fulbright will finalize field experiences later this year, but Hollstrom expects to travel abroad with other educators to learn about international education systems and visit local schools. During the visit, teachers meet with host educators and teach or co-teach lessons.

“I know this experience abroad will help me better understand the diversity of school systems and cultures that so many of our students come from,” she said. “This is actually my second time applying to this program. Between application rounds, I worked hard to find opportunities to grow my leadership skills and show my commitment to global perspectives in education.”

As part of her Fulbright experience, Hollstrom will create a Global Education Toolkit, a capstone project designed to connect global learning to her local community. 

“I hope to use this as an opportunity to research new ways that we as a district can continue to support multilingual and immigrant families,” she said. “You learn, research and create resources that my fellow educators, community and district can use."

Hollstrom first learned about the Fulbright program during her first week at Truman State University and has followed it for the past decade. 

“I have been working toward this since my freshman year of college, so it is very exciting to be a part of this cohort,” Hollstrom said. “I have always viewed Fulbright as an extremely prestigious program, and I was honestly surprised, in the best way, to receive notification of my acceptance. I will always be a student at heart, and Fulbright will allow me to explore my curiosities and interests far beyond my own classroom.”

To apply, Hollstrom submitted a resume, teaching portfolio and CV (Curriculum Vitae), a comprehensive document detailing academic and professional history. Her portfolio included teaching philosophy, work experience, professional honors, language capabilities, classroom management philosophy and community outreach efforts. Hollstrom also rounded out the application with two letters of recommendation. Hollstrom said she is grateful for the support she has received from her colleagues and mentors. 

“Participating in a Fulbright program is meaningful to me because it shows that many years of hard work are paying off in a really exciting way,” she said. “I feel so lucky that Pattonville as a district has always been so encouraging of me to try new things and be creative because without the support of my colleagues and administrators, I would not have had an engaging application. Pattonville has given me so much, and I am thrilled to invest my learning back into this district and community.”

Each year, approximately 400 teachers and administrators participate in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange program, joining thousands of other Fulbright participants from around the world. Since its founding in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals with opportunities to study, teach and conduct research abroad. The Fulbright Program is a U.S. government initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, implemented by the Institute of International Education, with additional support from participating governments, host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world. It operates in more than 160 countries.

The Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. For more information, visit the Fulbright website or contact the U.S. Department of State's Bureau on Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at 202-632-6452 or ECA-Press@state.gov