Four Luther alumni receive international English teaching assistant awards

Four Luther College graduates were awarded English teaching assistantships in Europe for the 2025–26 academic year.

Kellen DeKok, Lydia Gruenwald, Alexia Murano and Cassandra Norton were selected to be teaching assistants by three different organizations with similar missions. Teaching assistants act as cultural ambassadors and promote mutual understanding through cultural exchanges.

Norton received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award and will teach in Germany. The Austrian-American Educational Commission selected Gruenwald to teach in Austria. Both DeKok and Murano received teaching assistantships through the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain.

Kellen DeKok

Kellen DeKok

DeKok, of Archer, Iowa, graduated from Luther in May 2025 with degrees in Spanish and economics. He will be a teaching assistant with the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program in Spain.

DeKok applied for this program because of his positive experiences in Europe as a Luther student. DeKok, who played French horn in the Luther College Symphony Orchestra for three years, participated in a January term (J-Term) residency in Vienna, Austria, in 2023. This experience ignited his love of international travel.

During the summer of 2024, DeKok studied in Spain. After that “incredible and transformative experience,” DeKok made the goal of returning to Spain after graduation.

“I am looking forward to being able to practice my Spanish and to ‘live the life’ in Spain again,” DeKok said.

Lydia Gruenwald

Lydia Gruenwald

The Symphony Orchestra Vienna residency was a pivotal moment for Gruenwald too.

“I fell in love with Austria – the history, the music and the people there who cared so deeply about intercultural connection,” she said.

Gruenwald, of Lombard, Illinois, was selected to be a teaching assistant at two secondary schools in Austria.

“I’m looking forward to making deep connections with my community, collaborating with other teaching assistants, practicing my German and learning more about what aspects of the USA my students are curious about,” she said.

Gruenwald graduated from Luther in May 2025. She majored in history with minors in music and museum studies.

Alexia Murano

Alexia Murano

Murano, of Urbandale, Iowa, was a double major in Spanish and elementary education with an English as a Second Language endorsement. She graduated cum laude in May 2025. While at Luther, Murano completed her student teaching in Norway.

“I witnessed how transformative international teaching can be not only for my students but for myself, as an educator,” she said.

Murano will be part of the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program in Spain.

“I am excited to immerse myself in the Spanish education system, further my Spanish-speaking skills and learn more about the culture in Spain,” Murano said. “I look forward to the challenges and growth opportunities that come with stepping into a new classroom, especially one abroad.”

Cassandra Norton

Cassandra Norton

Norton, of Lakeville, Minnesota, graduated summa cum laude and earned degrees in German and international studies in May 2024. She also minored in identity studies. Norton won the Outstanding Delegate Award at the American Model United Nations Conference in 2023. She spent her spring 2022 semester studying in Germany through Luther’s Münster Semester program.

Norton will be a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Germany.

“I am so excited to return to Germany and experience the country in a more personal and independent way,” she said. “I know the ETA position will take me to new heights by pushing me out of my comfort zone. I cannot wait to explore my new community there.”

More than 45 Luther alumni have received international teaching assistantships since 2000.

Current students and recent alumni who are interested in applying for an international English teaching assistantship should contact professor Elizabeth Steding, director of student honors and fellowships, by emailing stedel01@luther.edu.

For more information about these opportunities, visit Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Fulbright Austria or the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program.

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