South Lake ES Teacher, Salimatou Cristal Ouedraogo, Named NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow

Salimatou Cristal Ouedraogo, an English Language Development teacher at South Lake Elementary School in Gaithersburg has been named a 2024 Global Learning Fellow by the NEA Foundation.

According to MCPS, she is one of three public school teachers in the state of Maryland and 48 educators from 36 states to earn the honor this year. A year-long professional learning experience focused on educating and empowering students for global citizenship, the fellowship will enable educators to enhance their knowledge and skills to bring global competency into their school communities and help students thrive in an increasingly interconnected world.

The fellows will participate in a two-day professional development conference in October and a ten-day international field study in Costa Rica next summer.

Per NEA Foundation: “Through the NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship, public school educators develop the knowledge and skills to integrate global competency into their daily classroom instruction, advocate for global competency in their schools and districts, and help students to thrive in our increasingly interconnected world. Fellows transform their classrooms to give students a global perspective.

Over the course of a year, NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellows immerse themselves in online coursework, webinars, reading and reflection as well as in a two-day professional workshop and an international field study. The field study brings the cohort together to investigate the historical and cultural context of the country they visit and learn about its education system through meetings with policymakers, business and nonprofit leaders as well as visits to schools to meet teachers, students and administrators. The NEA Foundation partners with EF Educational Tours, a global leader in international education, to design transformative field study experiences for the Fellows. The field study country for the 2025 cohort is Costa Rica.”