Eric Wilhelm, a Spanish major at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Russia for the 2018-19 academic year.

Wilhelm also has minors in Russian, business, global studies and national security studies.

He plans to pursue Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification and to continue to teach English abroad.

He said he applied to Russia because it will provide him with additional teaching experience and opportunities to improve his Russian language skills.

Wilhelm has taught English through Lincoln Literacy and Catholic Social Services in Lincoln. He was also a language teacher while studying abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia, volunteering at Plombir day care. He continues to provide private tutoring to people he met in Russia through Skype.

Wilhelm wants to establish an English conversation club open to all in his host community in Russia. The meetings will consist of conversation practice covering a wide variety of topics to increase fluency and confidence. The club will also help students learn about U.S. culture through literature, films and music.