NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – When Dr. Kisha Bryan-Jordan was a young girl growing up in St. Helena Island, South Carolina, her professional aspirations didn’t shift with the visual trends of the day. While others cycled through dynamic career goals, her destination remained resolute: she wanted to be a teacher.
Now an associate professor of Education Practice and Leadership at Tennessee State University, Bryan-Jordan has spent over two decades following that singular vision. Her journey has taken her from middle school classrooms to guiding future educators in higher education, and now, across oceans. Following her selection by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, Bryan-Jordan is set to embark on a prestigious Fulbright Specialist assignment at Hong Duc University in Vietnam.
Also serving as co-director of TSU’s Global Faculty Fellows Program and coordinator of the doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education, Bryan-Jordan sees this international appointment as the natural next step in her journey.
“I have always been a teacher. I’ve always been a learner. I’ve always been focused on global and international education,” she says, reflecting on a career path that has stayed remarkably close to its origins. “I’m one of very few people who haven’t made a whole lot of changes in terms of their conditions and career path. This is something that I wanted to be, a teacher, since I was very, very young. And so, for me, I’m just fulfilling my goals, my dreams, and my aspirations.”
Throughout her career, that early love for teaching merged with a deep fascination for diverse cultures and languages. At TSU, her scholarship centers on language education, teacher preparation, culturally responsive pedagogy, and educational equity. Her expertise has already earned her national and international recognition, including service as a U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist and a three-year term on the TESOL International Association Board of Directors.
In Vietnam, Bryan-Jordan will collaborate directly with faculty and students at Hong Duc University. Her work will focus on professional development for English-as-a-foreign-language educators, weaving American culture into language pedagogy while fostering mutual exchange.
“I just believe that, as educators, our most powerful learning occurs when we cross borders and when we’re interested in engaging with people whose experiences are different from our own,” says Bryan-Jordan.
The assignment underscores TSU’s broader push toward curriculum internationalization and global engagement. Beyond her direct work in Vietnamese classrooms, Jordan views the Fulbright as an investment in her students back home in Nashville.
“Hopefully, at some point, I can take students to that part of the world as well,” she says.
Established in 1946 to build mutual understanding between the United States and nations worldwide, the Fulbright Program offers scholars the chance to exchange knowledge and establish sustained international networks. For Bryan-Jordan, it represents a full-circle moment: the childhood dreams of a classroom teacher expanding to encompass the globe.
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public land-grant university offering 41 bachelor’s degrees, 15 graduate certificates, 27 master’s degrees, and nine doctoral degrees. TSU’s campus spans 500 acres. The university is committed to academic excellence, providing students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders. Visit tnstate.edu for more details.
