By Nance Ebert, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – Megan Roy, a 2009 graduate of Shrewsbury High School recently returned from Poland where she spent nine months as a Fulbright Scholar. She graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelors of Music Education in 2013 and is currently enrolled in a master’s program in jazz studies and performance at William Patterson University in New Jersey.
According to Roy, her experience living and working in Bydgoszcz in north central Poland, was life changing. She was there mainly to teach English on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to college students at Kazimierz Wielki University. However, on the side, she was able to work with some of the music students at the university as a volunteer.
“One of the highlights for me was that I related well to the upper class or graduate students at the university. They were my age or older and they were really respectful. I loved learning about their cultural background and I became friends with many of them. I still keep in touch on Facebook,” Roy said.
While the application process for the scholarship was quite long and arduous, Roy maintained that the year it took from applying to learning that she was awarded the scholarship was worth it. She loves to travel and has also been on mission trips to Africa. One of her advisors, Kefryn Reese, who encouraged her to apply, was instrumental in guiding her through this process. She chose Poland for many reasons.
“My grandmother was Polish,”” Roy explained. I also love jazz and classical. Chopin is Polish. I also wanted to see a totally different educational system than I am used to. I was comfortable going to Poland knowing that the country and the United States have a good relationship.”
Roy lived in a university hotel for adjunct professors, which had many modern conveniences of home. She studied Polish and while not fluent, knows enough of the language to get by.
“I love listening to the language,” she said. “It’s very beautiful but it is really hard.”
She got to participate in jam sessions at a local bar that opened to performers on Monday nights. She enjoyed meeting other musicians, traveling, and meeting the professors from the Music Education program at the university.
One young couple, professors at the school, hired Megan to tutor English for their children. In addition, a kindergarten in Bydgoszez also invited her to come each week for one hour to teach children English. She enjoyed her time with these little ones and often times would use music and songs in her teachings.
“One day I was teaching these 24-year-olds and the next morning I’m teaching these little ones running around and screaming who didn’t speak any English. This was kind of crazy but I did love both experiences,” Roy said.
One of the things that caught Megan by surprise was the fact that the level of English speaking in Poland was quite low.
“They seem to have enough money to dub children’s shows like Disney, etc. in Polish so all of the releases are dubbed in Polish. For children that grow up in countries that are not as affluent, they are exposed to English earlier,” Roy said.
Currently, Roy, the daughter of Lynn and Steve Roy of Shrewsbury, is busy with her studies in jazz, voice and trombone and singing in a church choir. Her goal, she said, is to find a career that balances performing and teaching.