Long Valley To Argentina: Meet The Bilingual Grad Teaching English South Of The Equator

LONG VALLEY, NJ — A recent Rutgers graduate from Long Valley has taken their education south of the equator — All the way to Argentina.

Jay Schroepfer, 23, has been in Santa Fe, Argentina, for the last two months participating in a teacher assistant program that supports Argentine students training to be English teachers and translators.

The Rutgers alum was given the cultural opportunity thanks to a grant from Fulbright, a U.S. student program that “expands perspectives through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue.”

Schroepfer is working at Instituto Superior de Profesorado No. 8, Almirante Guillermo Brown, a secondary school consisting mostly of students in their 20s. They describe the school as “a community college,” although it has its differences, according to Schroepfer.

Schroepfer enrolled in Rutgers University, not quite knowing what they wanted to study. Soon enough, they declared a double major in English and Spanish, eventually deciding they wanted to enter the field of translation and interpretation.

“Translation fascinates me, and I felt inspired by the idea that I could use an interest and skill of mine to actually serve others, be helpful and make a living,” Schroepfer said. “After graduating with my master’s degree, I landed a job with an in-house translation and interpreting team at Legal Services of New Jersey.”

Shortly before Schroepfer began working at Legal Services of New Jersey, they were selected as a Fulbright grant recipient to teach English in Argentina. At the secondary school, known as ISP Brown, for short, they give presentations on topics including their experience as a translator in the U.S., the U.S. education system, types of U.S. slang, and “many other culture- or language-focused topics.”

Additionally, Schroepfer has started an English conversation club and plans to offer virtual tutoring sessions in the near future.

Schroepfer has traveled outside of the U.S. before, to Valencia, Spain. However, they describe their experience in Argentina as “very different, and quite enriching.”

“One of the main reasons I sought out an opportunity to live abroad was to improve my Spanish skills,” Schroepfer said. “Spanish is a professional language for me, and I use it regularly, but for the most part, I've only used it for school or for work. Living in a Spanish-speaking country is a unique opportunity for immersion and for practicing Spanish in a broader variety of social contexts. I encounter new words and concepts daily, which is really wonderful.”

Schroepfer intends to bring the skills and experiences they’ve gained in Argentina back to New Jersey, with hopes of landing a translation or interpretation job.

“Before this experience, I'd never been to any Latin American country, yet the vast majority of my clients are from Latin America,” they said. “I consider it my professional responsibility to be as culturally informed as possible since our job as translators and interpreters is to carry meaning across languages and cultures.”

Schroepfer added that they don’t plan to stop at Spanish, as they’re taking German language classes in Argentina during their off time.