My name is Nichia Huxtable and I have the privilege of teaching biology to the outstanding students of Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, California. While our town is small, Villanova's reach is wide: our day students come from all around Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and our resident students come to us from China, Spain, Vietnam, Nigeria, Mexico, Korea, and more.
It is because of our diverse student population that I applied to become a Fulbright Teacher for Global Classrooms. Many of our students have two "locals": their hometown and Ojai. I wanted to explore how I could more effectively teach students that local actions are connected to global systems, therefore helping them to think globally while acting locally.