A Central College senior and Pella High School alum will serve as an overseas cultural ambassador following graduation.

Jake Wassenaar won a 2016-2017 Fulbright U.S. Student Award to assist with English-teaching programs in Taiwan. Wassenaar says he will help English teachers in public elementary or middle schools, especially with students’ cultural and linguistic questions.

While at Central, Wassenaar has participated in a number of service-based projects and organizations both at home and abroad. He tells KNIA/KRLS News his desire for service was built in Pella and for a passion to help others.

“I have a passion for people,” he says. “I’m so interested to see how people in different cultures react to different things, and in all honestly, I’ve found out a lot about myself going to these different cultures.”

He has participated in the Central Teacher Academy, a program that pairs select education students with local mentor teachers for professional development. Wassenaar also studied abroad in Leiden, the Netherlands, and traveled to Sierra Leone, West Africa, for a short-term, educational mission trip. This year, Wassenaar completed eight weeks of his student teaching experience in Merida, Mexico. A member of Central’s football team, Wassenaar was also named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works team.