While most college graduates are attempting to navigate the reality of a tough job economy, others are pursuing professional achievement overseas. Twenty-two year old Blair Daly of Bellevue is a prime example of a recent graduate who has caught the travel bug.

A former Newport High School graduate, Daly went on to earn a political studies degree from Whitworth University, graduating magna cum laude in January 2010. Soon after, he boarded a plane to the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo where he now teaches English in the remote village of Ba Kelalan. He lives with the family of Ba Kelalan Primary School’s deputy headmaster and spends his days leading English lessons, teaching drums and playing games with the children.

“Being young and single, this is my prime time for exploring the world and seeking adventure, which I have craved since little,” Daly explained. “As an extension of my Christian conviction I seek to serve others in a practical and loving way. In Malaysia I have and will continue to strive to be a positive role model and to teach English, a practical skill, to the best of my ability.”

He’ll be returning to Bellevue in November and will return to Malaysia in January as part of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship he was recently awarded. Daly is one of 1,500 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2010-2011 academic year through the program, a flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Daly’s grant is for 10 months.

In January, Daly will attend an eight-day orientation at MACEE (Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange) in Kuala Lumpur and then two more weeks of orientation in Terengganu. The orientation program will focus on Malay language, Malaysian history and culture, and English teaching methods for Malaysia. After the three weeks of orientation, Daly will be assigned to a new secondary school in the state of Terengganu.

He plans to continue teaching English to students in Malaysia as well as achieving fluency in the Malay language by the end of the grant period.

“What I enjoy most about teaching in Ba Kelalan is the children’s exuberance. I look forward to the same in Terengganu and to the friendships I will build with the students and members of the community in which I’m placed,” he said.

Daly is considering returning to graduate school after his return to the U.S. in 2011, but also considers a career with the U.S. State Department as a Foreign Service Officer a strong possibility.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425-453-4602.