Alliance for Catholic Education
Notre Dame, IN — Montana Garcia, a graduating member of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Teaching Fellows program, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for the 2025–26 academic year. Garcia (ACE 30) has been serving as a middle school teacher in Austin, Texas, and will travel to Malta this fall for a prestigious appointment as an English Teaching Assistant.
Garcia is one of a select group of U.S. citizens chosen by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to teach English and foster cross-cultural understanding in communities around the world. She is the latest in a growing number of ACE graduates to receive the distinguished award, demonstrating the program’s lasting impact in forming servant leaders for both local and global educational contexts.
“Montana exemplifies the mission and spirit of ACE,” said John Staud, Executive Director of the Alliance for Catholic Education. “Through her work as a teacher and community leader, she has lived out ACE’s call to serve with integrity, compassion, and excellence. We are so proud of her and look forward to seeing the good she will do in Malta.”
Garcia’s work as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant will draw on her ACE formation and classroom experience to support English instruction, promote cultural exchange, and broaden educational opportunities for students abroad. Her selection affirms both her leadership and the mission of ACE to form educators who make a difference wherever they are called.
About the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Founded in 1993, the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), part of the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) at the University of Notre Dame, works to sustain, strengthen, and transform Catholic schools. ACE forms teachers and leaders; develops and disseminates innovative tools and research to integrate academic excellence and spiritual growth; and enhances financial accessibility and operational vitality to ensure that all children—especially those in historically marginalized communities—have the opportunity to experience the gift of an excellent Catholic education. ACE annually serves more than 300 schools and 250,000 students in over 40 states. To learn more, visit ace.nd.edu.
About the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) Founded in 1996, the Institute for Educational Initiatives is home to more than two dozen programs that strive to improve education for all children—particularly those who have been historically underserved. Through teaching, research, and outreach, IEI forms scholars and educators who support human dignity and advance the common good. Anchored by the values of the University of Notre Dame, IEI pays special—though not exclusive—attention to Catholic schools as instruments of both academic excellence and integral human formation. To learn more, visit iei.nd.edu.