Photo courtesy of Bo Doss.
Jennifer Salvant with her students
Jennifer Salvant, a sixth grade English teacher at Bumpus Middle School, with some of her students.
Bumpus Middle School teacher Jennifer Salvant is preparing to take her classroom global after earning one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for educators — a Fulbright Teacher Exchange award that will send her to India this summer.
Salvan, a sixth grade English teacher,t was selected as a Fulbright Teacher Exchange recipient for the 2025-26 academic year, joining about 400 educators nationwide chosen annually for the program administered by the U.S. Department of State and overseen by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
“I am so excited about the opportunity to learn,” Salvant said. “I don’t know that I would ever find myself in India if not for this assignment.”
For Salvant, who has taught with Hoover City Schools since 2009, the honor represents both a professional milestone and a personal calling. A Pelham native who has lived in Chicago, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Charlottesville and Greenwich, she traces her global curiosity back to her student days.
In high school, Salvant took a trip through Rome, Florence, Paris and London with one of her teachers. “She taught me to keep my mind wide open,” Salvant recalled. Her encounters with ancient ruins, iconic artwork and live theater ‘planted the seeds of a global perspective.’”
Years later, while attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Salvant walked into Surin, a Thai restaurant, looking for a job — and found a second family. In her Fulbright application essay, she reflected on the owner’s influence and his parting wisdom: “Just be happy; don’t try to seek happiness or avoid unhappiness.”
“I poured my heart into my submission essay,” Salvant said. Responding to a prompt about connecting across cultures, she wrote about “art, food, and life’s joys and sadnesses. Art unifies us; food brings us together at one table.”
Salvant will travel to India in July with a cohort of 19 educators. Their journey — which she calls the “Delhi sandwich” — will begin and end in Delhi, with smaller groups placed across the country. She is especially eager to observe language acquisition in classrooms where multiple languages are spoken and English often serves as a shared bridge.
“Being recognized as a Fulbrighter is a big responsibility, which I do not take lightly,” she said. “I will continue to strive to treat others with respect and understanding while celebrating our similarities and differences.”
She believes her experience at Bumpus — where “the students’ heritage reflects a global classroom” — has prepared her well.
When she returns, Salvant looks forward to sharing more than photographs and souvenirs.
“I can’t wait to look into a child’s eyes and say, ‘I’ve been there! I know where your family is from!’” she said.
She wants students to know they can take “big adventures” of their own. “There’s a big world for you to explore,” Salvant tells them.
Quoting Helen Keller, Salvant added, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
