Allegheny Alumna Heads to Germany on English Teaching Fulbright Award

Recent Allegheny College alumna Mckenzie Hughes '26, joined an exclusive shortlist this spring by becoming the 23rd student in College history to receive a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award.

Come the fall semester, Hughes will join the Albert Schweitzer School in Nienburg, Germany, as an English teaching assistant.

"I love the German language. I think it's beautiful, I love speaking it, I love learning it," Hughes said. "I don't know if I want to be a teacher or not, but I love helping students and seeing them grow, so I'm taking this year to really explore that as a potential career option."

Stepping Into the Classroom

The Albert Schweitzer School is a "gymnasium," which, Hughes explained, "is like a U.S. high school, but more intense." Gymnasiums are Germany's highest academic track before university, and they culminate in the "Abitur" - a high school graduation exam that's required to pursue higher education.

"They spend countless hours studying for it," Hughes said. "People often say that the German Abitur is like an associate's degree."

While Hughes is contracted to teach English alongside German instructors for 12 hours per week, she's pursuing opportunities to also assist in other bilingual classrooms within academic areas she's previously studied: history, politics, and other social sciences.

Hughes received her formal acceptance into the program in April 2026 - less than a month before graduation - 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.

"Kenzie 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," Lewis said. "On average, one Allegheny student earns an award every few years, and it's exciting to add Kenzie to that list!"

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 "From Rhetoric to Reform: Far-Right Populism's Impact on Vocational Education and Training Policy in Western Europe," 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 - and her desire to spend time immersed in its culture after graduation - stems from a high school classroom in Mt. Lebanon, a suburb south of Pittsburgh.

"When I was in ninth grade, we had someone come and present a program called 'Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange' - it's 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," Hughes said.

At 14 years old, Hughes' 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 - a gymnasium similar to the one she'll 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," Hughes said. "I was like, 'I want to do this for the rest of my life.'

Looking Beyond Graduation

While Hughes' 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.

"Then, I want to get my Master's Degree, and I would love to get it in Germany," Hughes said. "The best way to describe what I'm interested in is political economy, and I've been looking at a couple of different programs that would allow me to keep doing that in Germany."

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.

"It's best to reach out early - junior year isn't too early for an opportunity after graduation," Lewis said. "We can talk through their options, think about strategies, and support them as they put applications together.

Career Development at Allegheny