Kelly Peeler, 2013 Kauffman Foundation Global Scholar and Founder of NextGenVest
When the Kauffman Foundation launched the Global Scholars Program in 2006, their aim was to teach and inspire recent college graduates who want to build innovative, world-changing businesses. Entering its seventh year in 2013, the program has hosted students sponsored by governments and organizations from eight countries representing at least 14 nationalities. The Global Scholars Program offers high quality education in entrepreneurship and features presentations, seminars, workshops, and discussions with leading professors, researchers, and entrepreneurs from around the U.S. During the program, Scholars have the opportunity to shadow executive leaders and immerse themselves in the day-to-day operations of an innovative firm such as Google, Cisco, InVivo Therapeutics, and InCube Ventures. Through this they learn first-hand about the challenges of launching a new, innovative enterprise. The benefits provided by the Kauffman Foundation include the costs of participation in the program, program-related lodging and travel expenses for the six month duration of the program, and a small living stipend.
Kelly Peeler, a 2010 Harvard University graduate, was the ideal candidate: her aim is to build a business that helps make investing more accessible, social and cost efficient to young people, as only 14 states currently require any type of financial education. We caught up with Kelly to learn more about this extraordinary program.
1. What inspired you to apply for the Kauffman Global Scholars Program?
I was inspired to create NextGenVest, a financial education, experience, and progress-tracking platform for young adults because I had not had any type of financial literacy training through high school or in college. It was only when I became an investor within J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank that I learned how to invest and understand the need to proactively manage personal finances at any income level. I myself procrastinated learning about all topics associated with personal finance, including credit, budgeting, investing, etc. and started to realize that all of my friends and peers did as well. These are vital skills that every person really must understand and have control over, especially in a post-financial crisis era.
2. What is a typical day like for a Kauffman Global Scholar?
The Kauffman Foundation is one of the largest Foundations globally that is focused on promoting entrepreneurship and education. The Foundation hosts programs and publishes extensive research to foster discussion and action around entrepreneurship. The Kauffman Global Scholars Program is a sixth month intensive program for 13 founders from around the world to help them effectively launch their companies. Kauffman Scholars work with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, professors, and industry professionals to learn, develop their product, and hone growth strategies in different cities including Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Kansas City.
It was attractive for me in that it allowed me to learn from a group of international entrepreneurs, do customer development and test my product in different cities across the U.S. It also gave me the opportunity to better understand the core problem I am solving.
3. What tips would you give others applying to the Kauffman Global Scholars Program?
Any student applying to the Kauffman Global Scholars Program should have a clear understanding of why they want to build the company they want to build. They don’t have to have all the answers about how the product or service will look, but they should understand the problem they are trying to solve. Everyone who goes through the program changes their product over time based on the feedback of their users. The applicant needs to be willing to go out and ask users lots of questions, receive criticism, and adapt – quickly. The interview is about proving your ability to formulate and execute ideas. Be flexible and honest about the challenges you have faced so far in starting your own company or venture, they know everyone has them!
As a Kauffman Foundation Global Scholar, Kelly Peeler is building a company focused on making personal finances easier for young adults. She is currently piloting NextGenVest with schools and parents. If you believe you could have been more prepared to manage your own finances, let Kelly know! Contact her at: Kelly at nextgenvest.com
Kelly is also the Executive Director of Business Across Borders. Previously, she worked at J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank as an investor covering financial sponsors, venture capital principals, and strategic clients to the firm. Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from Harvard University.
© Victoria Johnson 2013, all rights reserved.
The Council for International Exchange of Scholars is offering U.S. Fulbright Scholar grant opportunities in Europe and Eurasia in the field of public health. Applications for the 2014-15 academic year are currently being accepted from all levels of faculty and professionals, including early career.
Applications are being solicited for a broad range of awards in public health, including but not limited to:
Finland #4200 Fulbright-Saastamoinen Foundation Award in Health and Environmental Sciences
Denmark #4189 Public/Global Health: Nutrition and Health
Czech Republic #4182 Fulbright-Masaryk Award (NGO Management)
Ukraine #4348 Public Administration, NGO Management, Health Administration or Public Health
Russia #4312 Community College Faculty Award
Applicants must be U.S. citizens and hold a Ph.D. or appropriate professional/terminal degree at the time of application. The application deadline is August 1, 2013.
In addition, all-discipline awards are available in all countries in Europe and Eurasia and can be a good option if no discipline-focused award matches your expertise. Please visit the 2014-15 Catalog of Awards at http://catalog.cies.org/index.aspx to learn more about the opportunities available in this year’s competition. For most awards, English is sufficient for teaching and foreign language proficiency is only needed to the extent required by the proposed research project, if applicable.
For eligibility factors, detailed application guidelines and review criteria, please follow the link http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_awards. You may also wish to register for one of our webinars at http://www.cies.org/Webinar/ or join our online community, My Fulbright, a resource center for applicants interested in the program.
To view more than 475 fellowships for students and professionals in all disciplines, sign up to check out ProFellow’s fellowships database.
Dean Fealk, 2011 Marshall Memorial Fellow
When I first met Dean Fealk, a Partner at DLA Piper, one of the largest business law firms in the world, I could tell he loves traveling and doing work that has a positive social impact. Early in his career, after completing a Master’s at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Dean taught and studied on a Fulbright to the Republic of Korea where he was the first American to clerk at the Constitutional Court of Korea. In 2011, the same year Dean was named one of “40 Under 40” by The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal and one of the twenty leading lawyers in California under the age of 40 by the Daily Journal, he was also chosen for The German Marshall Fund’s (GMF) Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF). The fellowship provides emerging leaders from the United States and Europe the opportunity to explore each other’s politics, business, innovation, and culture through an experiential learning program. American and European Fellows each visit five cities during a 24-day itinerary of meetings. Since his MMF experience, he was named a US-Spain Council Young Leader and joined a delegation of 10 young American leaders who traveled to Europe to promote the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Spain. Excited to learn more about the Marshall Memorial Fellowship, I sat down with Dean to ask him about his fellowship experience and tips for the application process.
1. What is unique about the Marshall Memorial Fellowship experience?
The MMF gives emerging leaders from the private sector, government, NGOs and academia the opportunity to travel Europe, meet with thought leaders across the continent and explore issues of importance to the transatlantic relationship. It is a unique chance to step away from the daily routine for a month, self-reflect and open yourself to new ideas and viewpoints. The experience is not intended to be a one-way channel for information but rather an authentic and dynamic exchange of perspectives. Fellows act as private diplomats, representing the US and their home states as they make their way across the great cities of Europe.
Perhaps the most meaningful products of the MMF are the close friendships forged as fellows make their pilgrimage across Europe, through the Baltics, through ancient and contemporary history, often in a bleary-eyed sleep-deprived state. The schedules are jam-packed with official meetings, events and programming so there is literally no “down time.” The trial-by-fire is a shared experience not soon forgotten. And on an ongoing basis once the fellowship is over, the GMF works to preserve the trans-Atlantic relationships through its lifelong learning and extensive alumni network.
2. What do you think made your nomination and application stand out?
I think in my case I was able to demonstrate a proven track-record working to strengthen and support think tanks and non-profit organizations. Civic engagement is valuable to the GMF, which looks for fellows who will continue to work towards its mission and help strengthen the organization and MMF after the fellowship has ended. Generally, the GMF also looks for candidates who have excelled not only in their chosen professional fields but who also are civic minded and thoughtful about the issues of the day.
In addition to the nomination and written application there is a fairly rigorous panel interview where candidates are posed questions on a variety of subjects ranging from geo-politics to economics and the arts. You don’t need to be an expert on any of these topics, but it helps if you are relaxed, thoughtful and can let your values and passions come through.
Being passionate and knowledgeable about your home city are also competitive advantages. American fellows are asked to host incoming European fellows that tour the US on an annual basis, so it makes an impression in the interview if a candidate is actively engaged in the social fabric of his or her community.
3. What tips would you give others applying to the Marshall Memorial Fellowship?
Freshly reflect on where you are in your career, the path you have taken and where you see yourself in five or ten years. Also consider your personal leadership narrative. It might sound cliché to think about a short “elevator pitch,” but the exercise really forces you to take an objective look at your skill-set, experiences and ambitions so that you can articulate them in an organized and compelling fashion. That said, just be yourself! The GMF looks for leaders from a diverse range of backgrounds that are representative of society. Be your authentic self and just tell your story. And when you make the trip, go with an open heart and mind. You almost certainly will not return the same person.
Dean Fealk heads the Global Equity practice at DLA Piper, advising leading multinational companies on a wide range of legal and strategic issues related to doing business overseas. He is also a Truman National Security Fellow and general counsel to the Halifax International Security Forum. Dean is a graduate of the 2009-10 class of Leadership San Francisco and the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School. Dean earned his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
© Victoria Johnson 2013, all rights reserved.
Contributed by ProInspire
The Program: At ProInspire, we are dedicated to building the next generation of nonprofit leaders who will change the world. We are currently recruiting top professionals with 2-5 years of business experience to be a part of our flagship program, the ProInspire Fellowship. This highly competitive program offers targeted positions with leading nonprofits, monthly trainings with a cohort of peers, a coach, and a network to support career growth. Fellows spend one year working in an analytical, operational, marketing or strategic role at a nonprofit organization.
Eligibility: ProInspire conducts a rigorous selection process based on the selection criteria and needs of hiring organizations. Successful candidates will have:
- A minimum of two years of business experience by August 2013
- Passion for using their business skills to have a positive impact on society
- Humility and eagerness to learn
- Demonstrated initiative, self-direction and a “can-do” attitude
- Adaptability in ambiguous situations and demonstrated ability to learn quickly
- Strong analytical, problem solving, and project management skills
- Willingness to live in the Washington D.C. or the San Francisco Bay Area area for the program
Fellowship Benefits: Fellows participate in orientation, a mandatory Fellows retreat, monthly workshops, coaching, and leadership development projects. Fellows also receive career/graduate school support. After the program, Fellows stay in the social sector, find other career opportunities, or attend graduate school. Annual compensation of $45,000 and health benefits are provided by the hiring organization.
Application Deadline: Candidates applying for April start dates should submit their application through our website by Friday, February 1, 2013. Candidates applying for August start dates should submit their application by Friday, March 1, 2013 for priority consideration. Learn more about our program by joining one of our information calls and apply online.
Meghan Leinbach, 2011 Fellow of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX)
Through word of mouth, Meghan Leinbach discovered an extraordinary way to study and work abroad the year after her graduation from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2011, Meghan was a part of cohort of 75 Americans and 75 Germans who participated the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX), a fellowship funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Congress, that annually provides young professionals the opportunity to spend one year in each others’ countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program. Cultural Vistas, a non-profit organization headquartered in New York, has administered CBYX for Young Professionals for over 29 years, together with its German partner organization, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Agency for International Cooperation). The fellowship program is broken into three phases. American fellows spend the first eight weeks studying German at the Carl Duisberg Centrum (CDC) language school in one of three locations: Cologne, Radolfzell, or Saarbrücken. Following completion of the language school phase, participants relocate to their permanent placement in Germany. During the following “study phase”, most fellows study at a German university to gain an understanding of the higher education system with regard to their career field, and they also seek out volunteer work. During the final “internship phase”, fellows apply to and secure an internship position in their locality. The fellowship includes round-trip airfare, tuition, housing and a monthly stipend. Intrigued by this incredible opportunity, we asked Meghan about her experience in CBYX.
1. What inspired you to apply for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX)?
Keeping my German heritage alive is what motivates me to continue studying German culture and language. I knew I would always regret it if I did not become fluent in German, so while attending the University of Pittsburgh I majored in German and History of Art & Architecture. During my final year at Pitt, I was looking for an opportunity to continue to improve my German, as well as my professional aspirations. My landlord Peter was an alumnus of the CBYX program and he knew I was a German major, so he recommended I apply for the 2011-2012 year. After researching CBYX for myself, I found the program to be very appealing because it encouraged applicants from all education backgrounds and professional fields to participate. The format of the program was also a huge draw for me: it includes two months of intensive language classes followed by four months of study at a German university and a five month internship. The structure allowed for so much interaction with the German language, I knew I would be confident in speaking German after a year. I also knew I wanted to go to Germany, experience the German culture and gain more professional experience, so I took Peter’s advice and applied.
2. Where did you intern and how did you find your internship?
The CBYX program placed me in Berlin, where I lived with a German family for a few months. My career objective was to work for a cultural institution or museum and to share my passion for art, language and history with others, so the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) was the largest and best place to do this. After applying for an internship online to the SPK, my host mother helped me by writing to a contact she had there, who then recommended me for a position in the Publications and Merchandising department of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (National Museums of Berlin).
The Publications and Merchandising department was a small team of people who coordinated the author contracts and the distribution of the exhibition catalogues and museum merchandise. As an intern, I helped by preparing contracts, planning, coordinating, copy-editing and producing posters, postcards and other merchandise. I also acted as liaison and translator for international communication. While I enjoyed working with my colleagues and working for such an esteemed cultural institution, I found that perhaps an office environment is not the right place for me and that I might be better suited for a more hands-on job. I am so grateful for the experience I had at my internship, because without it, I might not have learned this about myself.
3. What tips would you give others applying to the CBYX fellowship?
Even though the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals program accepts applicants from every vocation, there does exist a common thread in those who are accepted: career goals and a genuine interest in Germany. Emphasize your passion for both and your application will stand out. I would also tell applicants to show flexibility, since the program will place you anywhere in Germany.
Born and raised in the heart of Amish country, Meghan Leinbach lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she is currently saving up for her many ambitions. A 2011 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Meghan holds a B.A. in German and History of Art & Architecture. As fervent lover of the humanities, she enjoys watercolor painting and hopes to work with and inspire youth in the future.
© Victoria Johnson 2013, all rights reserved.
Jill Leahy (right) with a teammate at a Martin Luther King Service Day sponsored by City Year New York.
City Year’s motto is give a year, change the world – and that’s exactly what Jill Leahy did. As a member of City Year New York’s 2011-12 corps, Jill dedicated a year to helping at-risk New York City students stay in school and on track to graduation. According to City Year’s website, one million students drop out of school each year, and half of those dropouts come from just 12% of schools. City Year aims to challenge the status quo and dramatically increase the graduation pipeline by providing paid, professional fellowships to motivated people aged 17 to 24 who are dedicated to City Year’s mission. City Year corps members spend a year working in under-resourced schools providing support to 3rd through 9th graders. They also organize and lead activities, celebrations and projects to improve the community and school environment. City Year operates in 24 U.S. locations and with two international affiliates in Johannesburg, South Africa and London, England.
While most of the corps experience is focused on delivering service to students in high-need schools, throughout the year corps members receive training and peer support, including a three to four week orientation in City Year’s Basic Training Academy and a Basic Training Retreat, which offers two to three days of team building, reflection and training. Now a Senior Corps Member at City Year New York, Jill Leahy helps train the next generation of City Year corps members. As the City Year application is approaching on February 15, we asked Jill more about her year of service.
1. What inspired you to apply to City Year and what did you do during your year of service?
Growing up, service and giving back were extremely important to my family. I knew I wanted to take a gap year after college, and I began looking into various programs that focused on education. I have worked with students and children extensively in the past and I was passionate about educational equality. When I discovered City Year, I knew that a program like this would be the perfect fit for me. City Year’s mission, values and goals directly aligned with my own beliefs, especially the idea of “service to a cause greater than self.” After researching City Year and having the opportunity to shadow a team, I was able to see the positive impact corps members were having on students every day. It was apparent to me that a position at City Year would be a life changing experience and would allow me the opportunity to grow as a leader and a professional as I worked within the education system in New York City.
Throughout the course of my corps year in 2011-2012, I had the opportunity to work on a team with ten other corps members in an elementary school in East New York, Brooklyn. We began our day every morning at 7:40 A.M., welcoming students into the school. Throughout the day, we worked with third, fourth, and fifth graders who were considered below grade average or “Tier 2” students. We provided academic support In English and math to students as well as behavior and attendance coaching. Monday through Thursday, we ran an after school program that provided students with extra help in homework, as well as enrichment clubs. Throughout the year, our team planned events for various students and the whole school to create a more positive school atmosphere. City Year also provides corps members time to work on individual leadership. On Fridays, we were provided additional trainings, professional development opportunities and time to reflect on the change that we had been making throughout the year.
2. What was the most eye-opening aspect of the City Year experience?
Before starting City Year, I researched the communities the organization served in New York City and I had a glimpse at the struggles and issues that students in the neighborhoods faced daily. Coming from a town where attending college is the norm, I found it hard to imagine that it could be so different elsewhere. Every day, students are dealing with issues within their community and at home, as well as within their school, that distract them from their academic work. Over one million students drop out of school every year, and working in an elementary school, I was surprised to hear students speak about the poverty, violence and crime that occur every day outside their door. Sadly, things that were happening outside of school lead them to believe that school is not important. Being able to work with these students I was able to better understand where they were coming from and help them understand the importance of education. It was there that I learned that all they truly wanted was a chance to succeed. Overall, having the opportunity to work in such a culturally diverse neighborhood I was able to understand that although our backgrounds and experiences are very different, these students want the same opportunities and the same future that I have been provided.
3. What tips would you give others applying to City Year?
Be serious about dedicating ten months to service. This work is not easy, and the days can be long. Take the time to research the organization, learn more about what a typical day looks like and decide whether City Year is a good fit for you. Corps members are people who have passion and skills including being able to work in teams, being flexible, having strong communication skills and being willing to give all you have to provide the best service for the students and communities that you’ll serve.
City Year is continually growing and is becoming a more competitive program. Take your application seriously and prepare for multiple interviews while upholding yourself in the most professional way. City Year values diversity- use your experiences, your knowledge, and your skills to figure out ways that you can make a difference in a student’s life and why you would make a great corps member. City Year wants young people who are motivated, dedicated and ready to make a difference in schools and in underserved communities. If this sounds like you, you’re already on the right path!
City Year applications are now open! Apply by February 15, 2013.
Jill Leahy is originally from Hanover, Massachussets. She is a 2011 graduate of Hofstra University where she graduated with a business degree with a concentration in management and finance. Jill previously served as a Corps Member with City Year New York in 2012-13. She stayed on as a Senior Corps Member and currently serves as a Team Leader providing training and mentorship to City Year Corps Members. After City Year, she hopes to continue working within the education system while utilizing her business skills.
© Victoria Johnson 2013, all rights reserved.
Jenni Schneiderman, 2009 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Argentina
Jenni Schneiderman once thought she wanted to pursue an advanced degree in clinical psychology, but an eye-opening experience abroad dramatically changed her career path. Jenni traveled to Argentina in 2009 on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA). Fulbright ETAs are offered in over 65 countries and provide a one year opportunity to teach English in a classroom setting, ranging from kindergarten to university level. Fellows also serve as cultural ambassadors for U.S. culture. While in Argentina, Jenni served as an English Teaching Assistant to a Professor of English Language Pedagogy at the public university in Mendoza and held regular office hours with students to help them develop writing and critical thinking skills. She also used the Fulbright opportunity to pursue independent research in Argentinian history, human rights, and creative expression as a form of social catharsis and regeneration. We asked Jenni more about her unique career path and how she made the most of her Fulbright ETA.
1. Why did you decide to pursue a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Argentina?
As an undergraduate liberal arts student at Kenyon College, I pursued a double major in Spanish Area Studies and Psychology. My mentor, a professor of Latin American Literature and Tucumana, inspired me to study abroad in Buenos Aires my junior year. While in Argentina, I forged a relationship with the Human Rights Oral Archive, Memoria Abierta, which is an initiative to record personal testimonies referring to the memory of State terrorism in Argentina and the different actions taken by human rights organizations and civil society. By reviewing personal testimony, I analyzed the complex relationship between grief, fragmented memory and identity development of children affected by the military dictatorship in Argentina from 1976-1983 from a psychoanalytic perspective. When my semester abroad ended, I felt both my personal and intellectual quests in Argentina were left unresolved. I knew I would return to continue my investigation, but wasn’t sure how or when. Arriving back at campus in the Fall, I learned about the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Argentina and applied with fortitude and the helpful guidance of my professor.
2. What do you think made your application stand out?
I believe my application stood out for two main reasons. Firstly, I strongly conveyed my established relationship to Argentina on both academic and personal levels, and articulated an action plan for diving deeper into the investigation of psychological catharsis and human resilience in the aftermath of social trauma. Secondly, as a Spanish TA for many semesters in college, I demonstrated my passion for teaching classes to first year language students.
3. What are you doing now and how did the Fulbright opportunity shape your career path?
I recently re-read the personal statement of my Fulbright application. In the essay I articulated that my long-term goal was to pursue a doctorate degree in clinical psychology. However, my Fulbright teaching experience at the public university in Mendoza encouraged me to step outside of my familiar cultural framework and ask ‘big picture’ questions about societal values and the fundamental role of education to shape and reinforce such values.
Jenni Schneiderman (center, striped sweater) with her students in Mendoza, Argentina
My new trajectory blazes towards the macro level of adaptive human development: international education systems. I sought a progressive school with the core values of positive holistic development and environmental stewardship and found the Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC), a Chicago Public Charter School with a mission to empower all students to postively impact their local community and world beyond. I’m proud to continue to grow and thrive at AGC. I am also preparing for business school and plan to study Social Enterprise and Non-Profit Management with a focus in transformational leadership and organizational culture.
Jenni Schneiderman is the After-School and Community Outreach Coordinator at the Academy for Global Citizenship where she is expanding her expertise in sustainable education policy and practice in an urban setting. Her role includes the program design, development and sustainability of expanded learning opportunities at AGC. She serves as the parent coordinator, volunteer coordinator, summer camp director, and intern mentor, and is passionate about working towards a multifaceted, multidirectional ecosystem of learning. Jenni has a B.A. from Kenyon College in Psychology and Spanish Area Studies.
.
© Victoria Johnson 2012, all rights reserved.
.
Kyera Singleton (American Fellow), Isa van Krimpen (Dutch Fellow), Jessica Peng (American Fellow), and Bajro Muric (Bosnian Fellow) at the 2011 HIA International Conference in Berlin
Jessica Peng is a ‘traveling’ educator who has used fellowships to pursue her academic interests in colonial histories and their political, educational, and social legacies in contemporary issues. Upon receiving her B.A. in International Studies from Vassar College in 2011, Jessica participated in the Humanity in Action Fellowship program in Amsterdam. The Humanity in Action Fellowship sponsors international groups of Fellows to study minority rights and produce original research exploring how and why individuals and societies, past and present, have resisted intolerance and protected democratic values. Fellows are students and recent graduates from universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine and the U.S. who are selected for separate 5-week programs that take place every summer in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris, and Warsaw.
2009 HIA Fellow Amy Larson quoted the famous words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” We asked Jessica about her path to the HIA Fellowship.
1. What inspired you to apply to the Humanity in Action Fellowship?
I was drawn to the Humanity in Action Fellowship program because of its emphasis on creating a dialogue between student leaders from the U.S., Western Europe, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. With my background in International Education, I was eager to be a part of an educational non-profit that focused on histories and their legacies, and promoted activism. The fellowship also offered the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam and Berlin, both of which were new cities for me.
2. What do you think made your application stand out?
The HIA selection process is unique in that it is the Senior Fellows who read the applications and recommend potential candidates to the Board for final selections. I think the most important aspects of the application are the essays and recommendations. In the essays, the readers are looking for applicants who exhibit a level of emotional and professional maturity, language sensitivity, critical personal and social reflections, and a nuanced perspective they can offer to the team of fellows. The recommendations that stand out most are those where mentors and professors speak specifically about the accomplishments and distinct attributes of the applicants.
3. How did the HIA Fellowship have an impact on your career, and what do you plan to do next?
Fortuitously, my HIA fellowship in Amsterdam preluded my Fulbright grant in Indonesia, a country with a long and dense history of Dutch colonialism. Having explored issues of immigration and integration, racism and discrimination, educational segregation in communities of color in the Dutch context, I arrived in Indonesia with some background knowledge of its colonial history, at least within the Western discourse. In this way, HIA has really paved a direct road for me to academically explore the political, educational, social legacies that have lingered in a decolonizing Indonesia. I often consult the works of guest speakers we had met during the program and talk to my Dutch friends. Many work opportunities have also come up. For example, a HIA Senior Fellow, whom I was connected with through the senior fellow network, started the ethical travel magazine I now write for. But most importantly, I have met some of the most impressive activists, academics and young professional leaders. Some of the fellows from my program have become the core of my support network, both in my personal and professional lives.
This fall, Jessica will return to Yogyakarta, Indonesia to continue teaching English at Gadjah Mada University and Sanata Dharma University as a Vassar Maguire Teaching Fellow. She shares stories of her travels in her column, “traversing hi/stories,” at Shatter the Looking Glass Magazine: shatterthelookingglass.com.
© Victoria Johnson 2012, all rights reserved.
Last night we had a fantastic seminar at the Tufts Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences with an audience of talented doctoral students interested in postdoctoral fellowships. It was interesting to hear from these students that at end of their studies, they are generally expected to secure a position at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and then seek funding to support their postdoctoral research. The problem? NIH positions and funding are becoming more and more competitive. These students were very surprised to hear that there are alternative sources of funding, as well as alternative career paths after a doctorate.
Some alternatives to NIH postdoctoral positions include the Humboldt Research Fellowships in Germany, sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. These are for young researchers who have finished their doctorate in the past four years. Germany is the European hub for science and technology research, but one of the great perks of these fellowships is that you can spend up to 25% of your fellowship in other parts of Europe. AvH also offers the one-year German Chancellor Fellowship for professionals, which includes 3 months of intensive German language training (I’m an alumni – class of 2003-4).
Other postdoctoral fellowships include the Smithsonian Institution fellowships or the Pews Scholars Program in Biomedical Sciences.
What I hear often from doctoral students is that they’re burnt-out after the intensity of completing a PhD, and they don’t necessarily want to begin a postdoc immediately after graduation. A professional fellowship is the perfect opportunity for a short-term paid position in something other than research. For example, a recent graduate could pursue a science policy fellowship and spend a year in Washington, DC, or consider a fellowship in K-12 teaching. There are a number of teaching fellowships that support your transition directly into teaching and the simultaneous completion of your Master’s in Education, such as the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation program. The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation also offers teaching fellowships for individuals committed to teaching high school mathematics, physical sciences or biological sciences.
If you’re interested in fellowships whether postdoc or professional, one piece of advice I give to students is to begin looking for them early, ideally a year in advance of when you would like to begin a fellowship. Fellowships that begin in the summer or fall often have application deadlines as early as October of the previous year, and application preparation can be time-consuming. Often you need to secure reference letters and prepare an essay and/or project proposal. You should also allow yourself time to speak to former fellows and make contact with potential host institutions.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Good luck!
Interested in gaining a better understanding of Asian culture? The Luce Scholars Program is a fantastic professional fellowship opportunity for recent college graduates and young professionals to spend a year in Asia. Fellows are assigned to professional positions in one of fifteen Asian countries, similar to the Peace Corps, and receive two-months of intensive language study, housing and a generous living stipend.
To be eligible for the Luce Scholars fellowship you must be nominated by one of 75 qualifying universities, a U.S. citizen under the age of 30, hold a bachelor’s degree, and have spent less than eight weeks in Asia. The Luce Scholars Program accepts fellows from a wide variety of backgrounds as evidenced by their past and present list of fellows.
“The program is designed as a cultural experience first and foremost. Each Scholar’s placement provides a professional venue and perspective, but the assignments themselves must be viewed as a mechanism through which to gain a broader understanding and appreciation of the culture in which one is living. As a purely professional experience, the year in Asia may not prove as satisfying as a similar assignment at home, often due to differences in management styles, political systems, work environments, and resource limitations. However, the insight gained through the year of cultural immersion and professional enrichment often makes their time in Asia a transformative experience for many Luce Scholars”. Read More.
The application for the Luce Scholars fellowship is typically November 1. To learn more about the Luce Scholoars Program please click here.
Add our badge to your website
It's easy. Just copy/paste into your website or blog! Need help? Contact us.