Congratulations to former MDI Trojan Camilla Thomassen-Tai who was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and will study in Taiwan as an English Teaching Assistant.

Thomassen-Tai graduated from MDI High School in 2015 and went to Colby for 1 year, before taking a Gap Year, and finishing up the last 3 years at the University of Vermont. She will graduate in May.

According to the University of Vermont's website Camilla did her student teaching at Winooski Middle and High School. She's quoted as saying "Changing the world for the better begins with teachers who strive to create lifelong learners with a passion and a sense of responsibility for their communities, both large and small,”

After her Fulbright in Taiwan, Camilla wants to teach internationally for a few more years to continue broadening her perspective and developing her practice. Following that, she plans to return to the U.S. and immerse herself in a school community. “I view education as not just teaching content knowledge and skills, but also teaching and modeling compassion, critical thinking, and respect,” she says. “I love working with middle schoolers. They are hilarious, unpredictable, and so smart, and I'm a better teacher and person for it.”

Camilla is the daughter of Bonnie Tai and Dan Thomassen of Bar Harbor

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