Valley girl wins Fulbright to Germany

PALMER — At 24 years old, Angelica “Angel” Remaley stands tall and straight, with a long swath of braid flowing over one shoulder. Her speech articulate, her manner polite, Angel looks young and stylish. But her appearance reveals little about this highly awarded scholar and world traveler.

A diligent student, Angel finished high school in 3½ years, graduating from Colony High School in 2006, including studying German at Mat-Su College. After graduation, she worked as a hostess at the Noisy Goose in Palmer, where she was able to save money to combine with a graduation present from her parents: airfare to Germany. Angel traveled abroad that same summer and visited with an exchange student who had lived with her family for 11 months.

Daughter of Palmer Police Chief Thomas Remaley, and mother, Linda, who works as a medical assistant at a diabetes clinic, Angel claims to have been “kicked out of the house at an early age.” When just 11, her mother forced Angel to go on a trip to Australia with People to People, an educational travel group for students designed to expand global awareness and develop leadership skills.

Unbearably shy, Angel confessed that she absolutely did not want to go. The trip changed her life. She participated in People to People every summer for the next five years. What began then was a series of journeys that would take her to 46 countries and across every continent — except Antarctica.

Angel reluctantly attended University of Alaska Anchorage beginning in the fall of 2007, but soon found herself immersed in a dynamic experience there in the deft hands of mentor Natasa Masanovic, a professor in the Language Department.

There, Angel continued her German studies. Initially she said she found it difficult. But under the guidance of Masanovic, she said she began to love German.

“I was so excited to go to class. If I was in a bad mood or tired, when I finished my German class, I was motivated,” she said.

In her junior year, Angel went on an exchange to Germany. She attended four weeks at the Göethe Institute and entered the University of Heidelberg in the fall to study German literature. She also worked four weeks on an archeological dig in Romania.

Between college studies and during summer breaks, Angel backpacked throughout Europe, stayed in hostels and rode buses, trains, and motorbikes throughout Europe. She traveled with friends, by herself, and once with her mom.

“The cultures are so different and the food! People are so generous, funny, and kind,” she said. “People are willing to care for someone they’ve never met. When you travel, you experience something you’ve never dreamed of.”

Throughout college, Angel tutored fellow students in German and worked at the Consortium Library as circulation desk clerk. In 2012, she received the U.S. State Department’s Critical Languages Scholarship to Turkey, which she would later decline. She also received the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Appreciation Award as an outstanding UAA student. Angel graduated from UAA in December 2012, with bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and German, and a minor in linguistics.

After graduation, Angel continued her employment at the UAA library. She is also a certified Zumba instructor at Midnight Sun Yoga Center in Palmer, has run 14 major races and currently is training for a marathon. Antarctica hosts a marathon run, which Angel hopes to participate in one day while completing her visitation of all seven continents.

Also included in her plans is the completion of a master’s degree in translation and interpretation.

In August 2013, upon urging from her mentor, Angel began the rigorous process of applying for a Fulbright Scholarship. Fulbright scholarships were established in 1946, motivated by James William Fulbright, junior senator from Arkansas, who studied abroad at Oxford.

According to program officials, Fulbright scholars “engage in projects concerning the environment, food security, public health, education and other global issues that require innovation, creativity, and knowledge that transcends borders. Fulbright scholars are open to new ideas and committed to international engagement.”

Governed by the State Department, the program grants 140 scholarships each year for teaching assistants in Germany. The goal is to use the power of international academic exchange to “transform lives, bridge geographic and cultural boundaries, and promote a more peaceful and prosperous world.”

In January, Angel made the final round of applicants. In April, she received word she had been granted the Fulbright Education Assistant Scholarship to Germany.

Angel said she still doesn’t know exactly where she will live or in what school or grade she will teach. She does know that her 11-month adventure begins in September in Cologne, where she is to report for orientation. Her scholarship includes travel to and from Germany, transportation to two orientation meetings, and an 800 Euro per month stipend to cover room, board and other expenses.

Angel said she is particularly thankful to her family, who offered unwavering support throughout her schooling and travels.

“They never held me back,” she said. “They had every right to want to keep me here, keep me safe. But they were always supportive. They believed in me.”

She said she also feels indebted to her UAA mentor, Masanovic, who did “everything in the world for me.”

Angel offered some advice for young high school graduates about to pursue college careers.

“Don’t pick (your studies) based on money,” she said. “Do what you love. Take your required courses, but pursue what you love.”