Young Woman From Woodbridge Shares Her Experience Teaching English Abroad

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — From Woodbridge to Rutgers to Thailand.

Chelsea Fernandez is a first-generation college student who grew up in Woodbridge, where she graduated from John F. Kennedy Memorial High School. She graduated from Rutgers-New Brunswick last year, where she majored in political science and criminal justice. While Fernandez plans to attend law school, for now she is teaching English to children in Thailand.

Fernandez, 23, said her experience living and working in another culture has pushed her to become an immigration lawyer when she returns back to the U.S.

"Living and working in a culture so different from my own reminded me of the importance of humility," she said. "Thanks to my experience in Thailand, I want my future legal work to reflect the values I’ve lived here: compassion, respect and dignity for all others.  Moving forward, I plan to bring the empathy, patience and cross-cultural communication I’ve gained into law school and, ultimately, my legal career."

She said she became interested in social reform and civil rights while in high school in Woodbridge.

"Since high school, I have been deeply inspired by the history of the civil rights movement and other mass movements for social reform. These stories of resistance sparked my interest in law and justice, and I have since sought to reconcile my respect for the law with my personal moral principles," she said. "Having personally experienced the impact of harsh immigration laws and the often unforgiving stance America takes toward immigrants, I came to understand that my life’s purpose is to serve marginalized communities. This commitment has led me to pursue volunteer work and community engagement, and it fuels my ultimate goal: To establish my own immigration law practice."

Fernandez said she hopes to one day be able to "provide pro-bono legal services and continue to advocate for those most in need — those whom the law too often overlooks or fails."

Fernandez was able to move to Thailand for a year because she won a highly competitive Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant, which lasts for a year and will end this September.

"I currently teach conversational English in 15 classes per week, with an average of 40 students per class across three levels: grades one, four and five," she shared. "Thai culture is so uniquely rooted in empathy and compassion, and this mindset touches every aspect of my life in Thailand. I’ve developed a deep respect for Buddhism and Thai customs, both of which are centered around kindness, something I’ve experienced firsthand. From the smiles I get as I ride my bike through town to the comfort of knowing I can park it without fear, the warmth of this community has left a lasting mark on me. I’ve formed relationships I will carry with me forever. This experience has shown me just a fraction of how beautiful the world is, that is, far beyond the capitalistic and fast-paced life that I knew in America."