The College at Brown University has awarded Professor Tricia Kelly, a Lecturer of Education, a Curriculum Development Grant to support her participation in the 2023 Fulbright-Hays Guatemala for Educators Group Project. Guatemala for Educators is led by Dr. Erin Papa, an assistant education professor at Rhode Island College. As part of the program, Professor Kelly will engage with local educators, youth, and families in Guatemala to exchange ideas and understanding of Guatemalan and U.S. educational systems and practices. She will conduct curriculum development work in Spanish and have the opportunity to study Mayan (K'iche') people, language, and culture.

"These experiences will connect with my work that aims to provide culturally sustaining resources to teachers working with Multilingual Learners in Rhode Island, where enrollment of Guatemalan students continues to rise," says Professor Kelly. Providence and Central Falls, two local districts that partner with the Brown MAT program, currently serve the largest number of Guatemalan youth in the state, particularly K'iche'-speaking Mayan Guatemalans.