CHINA — Brittany May Newman is looking forward to teaching English to children in Colombia starting in January.

The 23-year-old resident Thomas College graduate has been accepted into the highly competitive WorldTeach Volunteer Program.

Newman, of China, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a concentration in English.

“I knew I wanted to go and volunteer in another country,” Newman said. “I looked into WorldTeach. I majored in English and I love kids, so I applied for it and I got in.”

It will be a new adventure for Newman, who has not lived outside the U.S. before.

Newman is a 2007 graduate of Erskine Academy, where she earned a place in the National Honor Society all four years. She played field hockey four years at Erskine and two years at Thomas.

While at Thomas, Newman worked in the admissions office and at Pleaus Market in Winslow, in addition to carrying a full course load.

“It was very busy, but I work better when I am busy, so it was OK for me,” Newman said.

Newman attended the University of Maine at Augusta for a year — initially she wanted to be a nurse — before transferring to Thomas. There, she served on the Judicial Board and in the Student Senate, and she was elected class president her senior year.

She will leave for her teaching assignment in January and stay in Colombia, where schools operate year-round, until December 2013.

Newman thinks she may have fourth- and fifth-graders in her English classes.

She is studying Spanish with the Rosetta Stone program. WorldTeach also will offer instruction in Spanish and Colombian culture.

Newman said the school she is assigned to may be in the capital city of Bogota, or in a small town, possibly in the mountains.

“In two months, I’ll know where I’m going,” she said. “We’re either going to get together in Miami or New York City the first week in January.”

Between now and then she must raise $5,000 for airfare, food and housing. She is raising money on her Facebook page and another Facebook page, Help Brittany Get to Colombia.

“People can donate money and we’ll also be having events such as bottle drives, bake sales and maybe a run,” Newman said. “We’ll keep the events updated on the Facebook page. I’m putting a lot of my own money toward it.”

Newman is the daughter of Roxanne and Steve Newman, and she has two brothers, Brandon and Zach, who spent a summer studying in Peru.