Language Learning Fellowships Information Session

Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships Author

11/04/2024 Added

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Courtney Santos, Director, Undergraduate Research & Fellowships discusses international fellowship opportunities for learning languages, including the Critical Language Scholarship, Boren Awards, and Gilman Scholarships. Learn about eligibility, how to apply, strategies for writing strong application materials, and how to access undergraduate advising resources at UNL.

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[00:00:00.720]Hello and welcome to the Language Learning Fellowships information session.
[00:00:04.800]I'm Courtney Santos. I'm the Director of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships
[00:00:09.520]and I am so excited that you want to come out and learn about global experiences and
[00:00:14.640]how you can get involved and deepen your enrichment in languages and culture.
[00:00:19.760]At our office, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, we are seeking to
[00:00:26.240]increase the impact of research and creative activity and involve students in every step
[00:00:30.880]of the process. And so some of our strategies include providing dedicated long-term undergraduate
[00:00:37.200]research experiences for students. So this would be programs like FYRE, UCARE, and our new ASTER
[00:00:43.360]LSAMP program, as well as advising student applicants for international and national
[00:00:49.360]fellowship awards. And that includes several fellowships for language learning that we'll
[00:00:53.280]be discussing further today, including the Gilman Scholarship,
[00:00:56.220]the Critical Language Scholarship, and the Boren Awards.
[00:01:01.920]So what is a fellowship? It's important to understand that these opportunities are not
[00:01:07.160]just scholarships, rather, but that they are really about building community. And so external
[00:01:14.100]agencies like government agencies, nonprofit foundations, and even universities themselves
[00:01:20.220]will create fellowships in order to bring together scholar leaders from the different
[00:01:26.200]and really give them resources to advance their educational and professional success.
[00:01:30.940]They're hoping that through you as the student, that you will be able to really advance broader
[00:01:37.460]societal goals and to come together in cooperation and use your voice to include others in that
[00:01:45.720]vision of a great future. And so some might be field specific, some might be located in
[00:01:52.160]particular regions, particular host countries, or in the case of the language learning fellowships,
[00:01:56.180]the goal really is to get to know languages and cultures very deeply and to build a group
[00:02:01.880]of people who are comfortable speaking these languages no matter what careers they pursue
[00:02:06.080]afterward. Talking a little bit more about these language learning fellowships, in particular,
[00:02:14.580]these can be very large fellowship communities really centered on the goal of building mutual
[00:02:20.360]understanding with other nations. And so the State Department actually sponsors over 40,000
[00:02:26.160]exchanges, both sending Americans abroad and bringing in visitors to the U.S.
[00:02:32.060]And their goal is really to offer firsthand experiences of American society and culture,
[00:02:37.400]make sure we are building friendly relationships with people around the world,
[00:02:41.060]giving those opportunities to learn about language, culture, and people.
[00:02:45.140]But also at a deeper level, there's some philosophical pieces here, like
[00:02:50.860]shared values that we have globally, such as human rights or freedom,
[00:02:56.420]access to opportunity and upward mobility. So those might be tied into language learning,
[00:03:01.640]as well as the opportunity to cooperate on shared goals. So if we can use language and
[00:03:07.420]cultural knowledge to advance human health, to provide better education, or to create a more
[00:03:15.560]sustainable environmental profile, if we can advance trade or share technology insights,
[00:03:22.540]and of course, to cooperate on security,
[00:03:26.120]peacebuilding, and other aspects of safety across nations. As far as the specific fellowships,
[00:03:33.660]we have three today that are focused on sending U.S. citizen students abroad.
[00:03:39.600]And so we'll be talking in more detail about the Critical Language Scholarship,
[00:03:44.240]which every year supports students in studying about 12 to 15 languages that are deemed critical
[00:03:49.780]by the U.S. Department of State. So every year, the list of languages changes just a little bit
[00:03:54.080]based on the number of speakers.
[00:03:56.100]And what's available in terms of places you can go to study the languages and so on.
[00:04:00.180]No matter what, CLS is a fully funded scholarship, very generous.
[00:04:04.920]It covers summer study abroad or virtual institutes, especially for beginner speakers of
[00:04:10.440]the languages. It is also a competitive scholarship, certainly one of the most
[00:04:16.300]competitive on this particular info session.
[00:04:19.480]It is currently the second most popular award at UNL after the Gilman Scholarship, so we
[00:04:26.080]have our two most popular awards today, actually.
[00:04:27.740]And critical language scholarship is also due relatively early in the academic year.
[00:04:32.540]Every year it's due in mid-November, with this year being November 19, 2024.
[00:04:36.960]Okay, so the Boren Scholarship is a similar scholarship in many respects, in that it is
[00:04:44.960]focused on learning critical languages and other non-Western European languages for national
[00:04:50.580]security careers.
[00:04:51.460]And thus, it's a little bit more flexible in that it allows you to study a broader
[00:04:56.060]variety of languages.
[00:04:57.040]You can pick from a larger list.
[00:04:59.280]Another thing that makes it very flexible is that you can choose your own study abroad
[00:05:04.260]program.
[00:05:04.760]And so you can choose to go abroad for a summer, for an academic year, or even the full 12
[00:05:10.500]months.
[00:05:10.900]And so it is very customizable if you are thinking about, well, you know, the CLS program
[00:05:16.960]sounds great, but I'd really like the opportunity to plan my own adventure.
[00:05:21.020]So if you're comfortable with that, it's a great award for you.
[00:05:23.780]It also...
[00:05:26.040]requires a few things in return from students.
[00:05:28.700]One thing would be that there is a service requirement.
[00:05:31.860]Students who are planning to apply for a Boren should know that they would need to spend
[00:05:36.640]at least a year, and ideally more, working in federal government service.
[00:05:41.180]And that would be in a role related to national security, but at the end of the day, almost
[00:05:46.240]everything the government does is related to national security, at least in the Boren's
[00:05:50.380]interpretation.
[00:05:50.940]And so if you want to do things like work together on epidemiology at the...
[00:05:56.020]CDC, or if you want to work on environmental sustainability with the EPA, there are ways
[00:06:01.440]to tie those things into national security.
[00:06:04.760]So it doesn't have to just be like Department of Defense or Department of State careers,
[00:06:08.320]but really they'll let you work for almost any federal agency.
[00:06:10.940]And so there's a wonderful tutorial on the Boren website that explains how you can see
[00:06:16.420]those connections to your career goals if you are interested.
[00:06:18.880]They also ask you to participate in campus advising and nomination because it's a bit
[00:06:24.400]more challenging to apply for a Boren.
[00:06:26.400]You got to really think a lot about your career growth.
[00:06:29.180]You got to think about how you're going to plan out this study abroad and make it really
[00:06:33.360]immersive for yourself and bring in that intentionality to learn about national security
[00:06:38.560]as well as culture.
[00:06:39.480]So they ask you to work with us and my office does the nomination component for this award.
[00:06:45.580]So we work really closely with Global Experiences as you're planning out the work that you plan
[00:06:50.540]to do.
[00:06:50.920]It does have a deadline in early or late January.
[00:06:55.980]It'll sneak up on students a bit with winter break.
[00:06:58.120]So you want to make sure you make contact with me by the beginning of December, if not
[00:07:02.560]sooner, so that we can really stay on track with managing your application process.
[00:07:07.060]And then finally, the Gilman Scholarship, our first most popular award.
[00:07:11.600]I love working with Gilman.
[00:07:13.160]Every year, students are so excited to go abroad on their Gilman Scholarships.
[00:07:17.360]So we pretty much always have a student studying abroad with this award.
[00:07:20.520]You do need to be receiving a Pell Grant, which is a form of federal
[00:07:25.960]need-based aid in order to apply for a Gilman.
[00:07:28.640]And it is designed to broaden access to study abroad,
[00:07:32.480]especially for students who would otherwise not be able to afford this.
[00:07:35.700]But you are able to plan, again, a customized adventure with this award.
[00:07:41.900]It's just wonderful that they allow you to study,
[00:07:44.800]to do an internship, or to learn a language, or to combine these things together.
[00:07:49.620]They also allow short or longer-term study abroad.
[00:07:53.640]So you could go for a whole semester, but you could
[00:07:55.940]also just go for three or four weeks, right?
[00:07:58.700]And so depending on the length of your desired study abroad program,
[00:08:01.400]this is really the most flexible option that we have.
[00:08:04.140]It's also the least competitive.
[00:08:05.760]And so if you are Gilman eligible, you should take this award very seriously.
[00:08:10.460]It is really a great prospect for you.
[00:08:12.620]And finally, they have two application deadlines.
[00:08:15.660]And so you can apply in March and October.
[00:08:18.260]Most students, if they plan ahead, at least a year in advance of studying abroad,
[00:08:22.780]can compete for both of these deadlines.
[00:08:25.020]And so if you don't win it
[00:08:25.920]the first time, you could try again, which is always a great thing to do,
[00:08:29.360]to revise and resubmit and get in that habit of improving your work as you go along.
[00:08:34.000]Okay, now I'd like to share a couple of stories of some students who recently won our scholarships.
[00:08:41.120]And so our first case study is Ahmed.
[00:08:43.520]Ahmed is a graduating senior in Global Studies and Political Science
[00:08:48.480]and a member of the William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community.
[00:08:51.440]He is also president currently of the African Student Association.
[00:08:55.900]In summer 2023, he received a critical language scholarship
[00:09:00.220]and traveled to Turkey for intensive study of Turkish language
[00:09:03.900]and to build mutual understanding with other nations.
[00:09:06.460]He has also worked as an Arabic interpreter, so he really loves language learning.
[00:09:10.640]So he's been assisting immigrants and refugees with healthcare,
[00:09:14.840]tax appointments, and even teaching citizenship classes.
[00:09:17.760]This past summer, Ahmed also participated in the Public Policy
[00:09:21.920]and International Affairs Summer Institute, or PPIA,
[00:09:25.880]at the University of Michigan, where he began planning for graduate study
[00:09:29.140]in international affairs and immigration policy.
[00:09:32.180]And that's because he is currently applying to graduate schools
[00:09:35.320]and preparing for a career in the U.S. Foreign Service.
[00:09:38.380]And so you can see how language learning would be a really critical part
[00:09:41.600]of Ahmed's preparation for those goals.
[00:09:43.640]All right, another student success story.
[00:09:46.420]Here's Rachel, who is a recent graduate with majors in Russian and philosophy
[00:09:50.340]and a minor in global studies.
[00:09:52.160]Rachel was a member of the University Honors Program and a Regents
[00:09:55.860]Scholar.
[00:09:56.280]She applied for the Critical Language Scholarship to gain immersive experience
[00:10:00.040]in Russian and to begin building cultural bridges.
[00:10:02.560]She traveled to the Eastern European country of Georgia over the summer for
[00:10:07.520]intensive Russian language study with the CLS cohort.
[00:10:10.260]She also taught adult ESL at the Lincoln Literacy Project.
[00:10:14.880]Rachel graduated in December 2023 and returned to Georgia as a Fulbright U.S.
[00:10:20.400]Student Program English teaching assistant.
[00:10:22.500]So she spent a year abroad after graduation on that Fulbright.
[00:10:26.160]And currently, Rachel is in her first year of law school at Harvard University.
[00:10:30.780]And I'm so excited to see Rachel reaching these goals and moving forward on her legal
[00:10:36.200]career.
[00:10:36.580]So these are both examples of the success that students can achieve if they include
[00:10:42.340]language learning as a part of their trajectories here at UNL.
[00:10:45.620]And so they both decided to pursue the Critical Language Scholarship, which, as I mentioned
[00:10:51.340]before, is part of the U.S. Department of State's slate of awards, and so their goal
[00:10:55.820]is to build mutual understanding between nations.
[00:10:58.660]These fellowships are available to enrolled U.S. undergraduates or graduate students,
[00:11:04.420]and so they are pretty flexible in terms of the timing when you would be able to do this.
[00:11:09.760]You know, you can think about, when would it be good for me to spend a summer abroad?
[00:11:14.400]That's the right time.
[00:11:15.500]Apply to CLS the November before that summer, right?
[00:11:19.560]And so it's going to reliably be there for you.
[00:11:22.120]This is a very established program.
[00:11:25.800]Also is really great because it's sort of all-inclusive, right?
[00:11:28.800]They plan these summer institutes ahead of time for you.
[00:11:31.460]They've been really thoughtful and intentional in creating those opportunities for intensive
[00:11:36.140]language study, including things like role play and peer conversations.
[00:11:41.700]Even in the virtual institutes, they do things like virtual field trips, right?
[00:11:47.260]And so it's a fully funded and very immersive, interactive experience, no matter which CLS
[00:11:53.300]summer program you choose.
[00:11:55.780]And due to the time abroad, especially for more advanced study or for the languages here
[00:12:00.960]that require no previous study.
[00:12:02.640]And they also have the Spark virtual program for some of the most popular languages, including
[00:12:07.980]Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Japanese.
[00:12:11.160]And so there's really a lot of variety that's presented and a really wonderful slate of
[00:12:19.120]languages for students who are interested in almost any of the world regions.
[00:12:22.840]So CLS is a highly popular award.
[00:12:25.760]All right, now we'll talk about Boren a little bit in more depth.
[00:12:29.920]So this one adds to that mission that they want to improve U.S. national security and
[00:12:35.780]relationships abroad, right?
[00:12:37.320]So they really want to make the U.S. safer.
[00:12:39.380]And one of the ways they'd like to do that is through supporting undergraduates and graduate
[00:12:44.000]students in gaining cultural proficiency and language knowledge so that they can apply
[00:12:49.260]that to building these strong relationships that make us all safer in the world.
[00:12:53.180]And it does generously.
[00:12:55.740]Fund your choice of a language intensive program in most world regions, especially those that
[00:13:02.400]are lesser visited, lesser traveled like Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
[00:13:07.780]They offer anywhere from about eight thousand dollars for the summer only, which is often
[00:13:14.300]STEM students who maybe can't study abroad at other times of the year, to much deeper
[00:13:19.360]and longer term immersive experiences, up to twenty five thousand dollars for a full year
[00:13:24.760]abroad.
[00:13:25.720]And they really encourage those longer term options to students who are able to do that.
[00:13:30.380]Again, this is one where you have the flexibility to really plan your own adventure and think
[00:13:35.640]about what types of language learning and immersion would be valuable to you.
[00:13:40.360]And so you can do that with your college liaison through UNL Global Experiences.
[00:13:46.180]So basically every student has access to a study abroad advisor from Global Experiences
[00:13:52.000]and would be able to possibly pursue this award
[00:13:55.700]With that customized, tailored advice for you.
[00:13:58.600]And then there is a one-year government service requirement for Boren.
[00:14:04.180]So it's just something to be aware of, if you are considering this award, that you want to
[00:14:08.500]think about what would be some ways in which you might be able to fulfill that service
[00:14:12.780]requirement through things like, you know, a post-graduation experience of employment
[00:14:19.420]in a federal agency.
[00:14:21.340]And so things like the Pathways Program, which is
[00:14:25.680]for recent graduates to join federal agencies, can be things that you look at and kind of
[00:14:30.460]get a sense of, What are some of the jobs that are available to new entry-level employees?
[00:14:35.120]And what would the value of these kind of experiences be to me for my career?
[00:14:39.720]And then finally, for the Gilman Scholarship, so just like the Critical Language Scholarship,
[00:14:46.020]this one seeks to build mutual understanding between nations.
[00:14:48.760]It is also a program of the U.S. Department of State.
[00:14:51.480]But it has a lot more options that you can certainly pursue within this
[00:14:55.660]one.
[00:14:55.900]So if you're eligible, you should really think about it,
[00:14:58.620]because Gilman will let you do undergraduate study.
[00:15:01.860]So that could be focused on language learning,
[00:15:04.040]or it could be language learning as one component of an overall study
[00:15:07.940]abroad program that includes multiple different types of coursework,
[00:15:11.120]more like what you're doing here at UNL,
[00:15:12.840]where you maybe have a few different courses that range in their subject
[00:15:16.680]matter.
[00:15:16.960]You can also do research through the Gilman Scholarship or do an internship
[00:15:23.480]abroad.
[00:15:24.080]So maybe combine
[00:15:25.640]Some work experience with your goals of learning another language.
[00:15:29.840]They also, they're supporting students who are Pell Grant eligible.
[00:15:34.720]So if you're not sure if you have currently have a Pell Grant,
[00:15:38.300]you can check your aid summary in MyRed and just take a look at the list
[00:15:44.240]there.
[00:15:44.520]And it should say whether or not you've currently got a Pell Grant and that
[00:15:47.920]would make you eligible for the Gilman Scholarship.
[00:15:49.520]Awards range from a low about $3,500 for short-term or summer
[00:15:55.620]programs to about $8,000 if you are studying abroad,
[00:15:59.260]including a critical need language.
[00:16:01.440]And so again, that would be kind of the same language list as CLS has.
[00:16:05.340]And so you can really enhance your award if you are doing language study
[00:16:10.480]while you're abroad on the Gilman.
[00:16:11.680]And then finally, it really is an opportunity to plan your own adventure,
[00:16:15.900]incredibly flexible and customizable.
[00:16:17.980]And we certainly have many stories of Gilman successes.
[00:16:22.020]You know, we have nine or 10 awards active.
[00:16:25.600]At any given time, meaning there's that many students from UNL who are abroad.
[00:16:29.480]And they've really gone all over the world on Gilman scholarships.
[00:16:33.720]And so just incredible stories that you can engage with.
[00:16:37.080]So if you're interested in Gilman, I certainly encourage you to get in touch
[00:16:41.040]with Global Experiences and start thinking about it ahead of that March deadline.
[00:16:44.600]As far as sort of what you should be thinking about as you are planning an application
[00:16:51.280]to one of these awards, I encourage you to think about the selection criteria
[00:16:55.580]as sort of kind of like an assignment rubric here, right?
[00:16:59.740]So we want to hit all of these points in some way.
[00:17:03.540]And to really think about how you demonstrate the criteria in very concrete terms,
[00:17:09.720]you want to sort of make an evidence-based argument like you would for an essay for class,
[00:17:14.180]but the argument is about you, the person, right?
[00:17:17.000]And what you are bringing to these experiences.
[00:17:19.500]So CLS and Gilman actually have fairly similar selection criteria,
[00:17:24.220]and that's because they're both run by the
[00:17:25.560]State Department, right?
[00:17:26.500]So ultimately, we're looking at that
[00:17:28.300]Building Mutual Understanding mission,
[00:17:29.700]and we're kind of breaking it down into
[00:17:31.420]what are the traits, what are the experiences
[00:17:34.080]that I would bring in order to help fulfill that mission, right?
[00:17:38.260]And so some things that you would want to talk about
[00:17:42.420]are definitely going to be the connection
[00:17:44.220]between the language that you want to learn
[00:17:46.660]and your longer-term goals.
[00:17:48.600]You would want to talk about how receiving
[00:17:52.760]one of these awards will bring,
[00:17:55.540]academic and career benefits to you.
[00:17:57.800]So they want to see that if they give you this money,
[00:18:00.480]that there's going to be some form of payoff for you
[00:18:03.200]as a person, that you are going to be better
[00:18:05.540]for learning this language
[00:18:06.860]and having this opportunity to go abroad.
[00:18:08.700]They also want to see that you are bringing a lot
[00:18:12.280]of the traits that are necessary for success.
[00:18:14.560]And so they're looking for things like preparation.
[00:18:17.740]This could include prior language learning experiences,
[00:18:20.680]either in the same language or a different one,
[00:18:22.840]but it could also include more generalized
[00:18:25.520]preparation, like knowledge about the place
[00:18:29.080]and region that you are going to,
[00:18:30.860]previous experience with, you know, cultural learning.
[00:18:36.780]Really high motivation certainly would be a great thing
[00:18:41.420]to emphasize here.
[00:18:42.260]And ultimately commitment.
[00:18:44.280]They want to see that this isn't just sort
[00:18:46.580]of a one-off experience for you,
[00:18:48.860]but that you are deeply invested.
[00:18:50.380]You are super jazzed to learn this language
[00:18:52.720]and continue with it.
[00:18:53.900]And hopefully you're going to continue that
[00:18:55.500]commitment after you return to the U.S.
[00:18:57.280]They also really appreciate the diversity
[00:19:00.580]of students' backgrounds and experiences.
[00:19:02.800]So you want to be sure you're conveying that, right?
[00:19:05.820]So they love to hear stories that are really
[00:19:08.480]personal to you, you know, moments where you've
[00:19:12.900]maybe built an incredible friendship with somebody
[00:19:15.400]whose experience was different from your own.
[00:19:17.540]Maybe moments where you've been able to share
[00:19:20.400]food or culture, music, film, these various
[00:19:25.480]things that really help us to get to know
[00:19:28.420]another person, another community.
[00:19:30.420]And then also personal strengths, right?
[00:19:34.680]Right. So it's very important when you're studying abroad to have traits that will allow you to be flexible and to learn and grow from the experience of being in another place and another group of people.
[00:19:48.540]And so they're looking for things like adaptability, inclusiveness or a welcoming approach to kind of making friends with others, resilience.
[00:19:59.320]Right. And so if you can tell stories, anecdotes of times when you have had to use those traits, maybe met a challenge and overcome it, that's going to make your essays much stronger.
[00:20:12.760]And then finally, contributions to mutual understanding. So this is, again, the mission of the State Department or to citizen diplomacy.
[00:20:20.920]And that sounds like really big and really lofty. But really what they mean here is making friends at the one to one or small group level.
[00:20:28.720]Right.
[00:20:29.200]And so they really want to hear about how you have interpersonal skills and strengths and the self-awareness, the knowledge that what you do through relationship building really matters to the people around you.
[00:20:42.940]And so they want to hear that you're going to bring those relationships back after you form them as well.
[00:20:50.140]And so think about how would I share my CLS or my Gilman experience with people in the U.S.?
[00:20:55.980]How would I maybe encourage other people to learn a language?
[00:20:58.840]Or to get to know the host region?
[00:21:00.460]Maybe break down stereotypes.
[00:21:02.280]Or just get involved in studying abroad.
[00:21:04.660]Encourage more people to try this out and to explore.
[00:21:07.380]Now, Boren is run by a different program, right?
[00:21:12.220]The National Security Education Program is a little bit more focused on this aspect of national security.
[00:21:18.040]But they want all the things that the State Department wants for the most part.
[00:21:21.940]And so you should probably think of this as more like additive, right?
[00:21:25.380]Boren wants everything under the State Department box.
[00:21:28.480]And they want to see the relevance of the country and the language that you want to study to U.S. national security.
[00:21:35.440]So they want to know that this will matter for preparing you for federal careers.
[00:21:39.640]And they want to see evidence of a longer-term commitment, ideally, to government service careers.
[00:21:44.820]So they want to know that if they fund you, you are going to be pretty committed to a life of public service or at least to several years of interest in having that be a part of your career trajectory.
[00:21:58.120]I'm going to pause here and check the chat and see if there are any questions.
[00:22:03.080]I'll keep a lookout as I go on here. OK, so essay tips.
[00:22:08.840]So we've talked a little bit about the selection criteria, sort of how to analyze them.
[00:22:13.180]But the other piece is thinking about really what makes you a unique candidate among others who might share similar language learning goals.
[00:22:20.980]And especially if the fellowship is competitive like CLS, right, we want to think about really what we're bringing that's going to help us stand
[00:22:27.760]out in this competition.
[00:22:30.760]And so first I would say your unique interpretation of mutual understanding really matters.
[00:22:37.560]What you are bringing to the table here. And so thinking holistically about yourself and which U.S.
[00:22:43.520]communities or cultural perspectives you can represent in this exchange.
[00:22:48.520]Right. And so that could include your identity, you know, so rural identity, first gen identity, racial and ethnic, language.
[00:22:57.400]You know, all of those things could potentially matter. It also includes your unique life experiences.
[00:23:06.020]So, you know, maybe there are things that you've done that only you among your friend cohort have done.
[00:23:11.080]Those might be good things to profile in a fellowships essay. They're also interested in your major or field.
[00:23:18.160]So, for example, STEM majors are underrepresented in study abroad.
[00:23:22.240]It's very hard to fit study abroad into a STEM program. Right.
[00:23:27.040]But every student is bringing some unique knowledge, you know, particular niche interests within their major fields.
[00:23:34.320]So the knowledge you carry is important. Your hobbies, you know,
[00:23:40.120]you might think that it's not that relevant to talk about how you do cycling on the weekends or how you're in a video game guild or how you do modding or app development or,
[00:23:51.040]you know, music. Actually, all of those things matter enormously. They not only make up who you are,
[00:23:56.680]as a person, but they are carriers of culture, right? Games, art, music, you know, all of the
[00:24:06.360]things that we do are potentially things that we might do with friends in the host country
[00:24:12.340]that would allow us to get to know what life in the U.S. is about. Your personality certainly
[00:24:18.220]can be unique. So ultimately, I ask you to think about and really reflect on the people,
[00:24:26.320]places, memories, and values that you carry with you everywhere you go. Because your unique story
[00:24:31.900]is going to be what makes this application memorable. You're not just saying what CLS
[00:24:36.740]or Boren or whoever wants to hear, rather, but you are actually telling a story that is
[00:24:41.880]an artful, curated collection of moments and cultural values that represent you,
[00:24:50.660]the person, on the page. All right. Hopefully that inspires you. Another
[00:24:55.960]thing to do, I think, and this is more pragmatic, hopefully it's a logical connection. We want to
[00:25:00.820]make a logical connection between language and cultural study to specific, concrete career goals.
[00:25:06.860]And here's where getting some help can be really valuable, right? If you can research with a career
[00:25:12.960]coach what leaders in your field do globally, right? And here to look beyond the short term,
[00:25:18.920]the entry level, oh, I want to be a language teacher. I want to be an attorney. I want to be a scientist, right? But give us a little bit
[00:25:25.600]more of the long term. What does it look like beyond the entry level, right? And so then how would
[00:25:32.180]your intercultural and linguistic strengths play a role in making you a more effective leader in
[00:25:40.940]your career? That's really a gold argument, right? That's something where we can see that the student
[00:25:48.300]has vision and that this fellowship would be an important piece here, right? And so I
[00:25:55.240]think this ultimately requires taking a growth mindset to say, you know, I don't have
[00:26:02.660]everything I need right now, but I can see the path that I would be taking in the future through
[00:26:09.020]this language learning fellowship and then in the years beyond to get to the level of
[00:26:14.640]strengths that I really want to have, right? And so that's a very clever argument and
[00:26:19.760]it's something that's likely to pay off in terms of your success. And then finally,
[00:26:24.880]I would say, remember that this is an essay in the personal statement genre, right? And
[00:26:30.800]so there are certain conventions here that you can follow that really come from creative
[00:26:35.180]writing strategies. So we want to narrate our authentic experiences and we want to do
[00:26:41.700]so in an immersive and compelling way. And so hopefully we're kind of going back to those
[00:26:47.320]principles of storytelling, like show, don't tell, right? Including images, including dialogue,
[00:26:54.520]really putting the reader into your experience in a way that's concrete and memorable and emphatic,
[00:27:00.480]right? Creating emphasis on the points that you really want folks to remember. Again, this is
[00:27:07.720]just going to make your essay stand out in the stack for some awards that can be fairly competitive.
[00:27:11.960]And so if you're interested in getting support, learning more about personal statements, about how
[00:27:16.940]to use creative writing to make your writing come alive, definitely check out the UNL Writing Center
[00:27:24.160]and bring your prompt and hang out with a consultant and do a little bit of brainstorming
[00:27:28.080]with them. And so I think ultimately this is about really seeing your life in a different way
[00:27:35.000]rather than feeling, you know, maybe some emotions like imposter syndrome or anxiety over this,
[00:27:42.340]but rather to say, you know, I really see where I am in terms of my trajectory and my development
[00:27:48.440]and I'm excited, right? I'm able to find those points of excitement and then invite other people
[00:27:53.800]to those moments. So I want to encourage you to embrace your creative challenges. Writing a
[00:28:01.920]fellowships essay is not easy, right? But there's really some incredible growth that can come from
[00:28:07.680]it. And so to do things like breaking away from just linear thinking to look for creative
[00:28:12.460]connections, right? Or find previously hidden themes. Maybe you can even, if your life feels
[00:28:19.380]like chaos, very exploratory, try to find a meaningful order
[00:28:23.440]for it. And that ultimately can be helpful to you as well in terms of building your self-knowledge
[00:28:29.600]and your confidence in what you are doing here. You know, ideally, through the process
[00:28:36.720]of writing a fellowship application, you may be able to create a very powerful vision for
[00:28:40.460]planning your future using your talents and interests. But every student, I think, can
[00:28:47.760]at least embrace the in-progress, sort of figure it out as you go nature of wandering
[00:28:53.080]forward. And that can also be a really good part of a fellowships application, too.
[00:29:01.120]For myself, I've tried a variety of different brainstorming activities. Here's one that
[00:29:05.500]I love that I learned from Trina Cress, who's a career coach in our College of Arts and
[00:29:09.420]Sciences. And ultimately, Trina got it actually from a book called "You Majored in What?"
[00:29:14.120]by Katherine Brooks. And it's called "A Wandering Map."
[00:29:18.880]And so it's a way of sort of if you're a visual learner, you'll love this. It's a way of sort
[00:29:22.720]of mapping out or organizing visually the experiences that you've had and just creating
[00:29:28.680]some really nice moments of connection between them. So you sort of start off with some little
[00:29:33.480]lists, right, and categories and you can do things like list some important memories in
[00:29:37.660]your life, some important jobs, some classes that were particularly memorable, hobbies
[00:29:43.980]that you dearly love, either now or maybe in the past, moments of success that bring
[00:29:51.100]you pride.
[00:29:52.360]And make you feel really great.
[00:29:54.340]Maybe trips that you've taken in the past.
[00:29:57.920]Even the objects on your desk.
[00:30:00.020]Like I've got my coffee mug here.
[00:30:01.820]It's always there with me, right?
[00:30:03.540]And so again, that's culture, right?
[00:30:05.320]I have my daily caffeine like many Americans do, right?
[00:30:08.560]And so there may be a variety of things that you hold dear that are just right there in
[00:30:14.980]front of you.
[00:30:15.420]And if you break away from that linear thinking and see them afresh, it can help you to be
[00:30:20.560]more creative.
[00:30:22.000]And so here's what my wandering map actually looked like when I did this activity.
[00:30:25.660]So I had some great memories like Disneyland, really getting into some imaginative play,
[00:30:32.580]illustrating stories when I was a kid.
[00:30:34.540]Ultimately, when I got to things like jobs, I realized that a lot of them were connected
[00:30:39.940]to writing, like I've been a writing tutor several times, doing teaching for intro to
[00:30:46.120]creative writing and other English classes, certainly directing the fellowship's office.
[00:30:51.640]I had the chance to engage with student essays all the time, and I did love English and creative
[00:30:56.080]writing.
[00:30:57.080]I actually majored in that, but I also love coursework in psychology, which now is my
[00:31:01.820]sort of second master's program.
[00:31:03.200]I'm now doing a master's in counseling psychology, so there's many things that I love academically,
[00:31:08.560]and I got to kind of list them out here: hobbies, successes.
[00:31:15.780]You might think of a lot of professional successes or things that you've done, maybe outside
[00:31:21.280]of class, but there also might be things that you did that was just you, right?
[00:31:26.380]And so for me, during the pandemic, I learned to watercolor, and that was something that
[00:31:31.520]was like a big deal for me, right?
[00:31:32.840]We were all going through a lot, but it was something that I could kind of have in my
[00:31:37.280]hands and control and really learn and enjoy myself through that, and it's become a major
[00:31:42.920]hobby in my life.
[00:31:45.120]And really, in many ways, a new way of thinking about the world, about color and light and
[00:31:50.920]texture.
[00:31:51.920]Right?
[00:31:52.920]And so it's been wonderful for my creativity.
[00:31:56.340]So I hope that as you build a wandering map for yourself, this may be fruitful in planning
[00:32:00.920]some content for your essays and kind of coming up with maybe some content that's a little
[00:32:06.300]bit outside the box, right, that helps you to showcase your unique personality.
[00:32:12.300]And so ultimately, from this map, you can kind of identify maybe some points of connection,
[00:32:17.960]some themes or threads that are running through.
[00:32:20.560]And so for me, there was themes of exploration, like, you know, moving from California to
[00:32:25.440]Nebraska was a huge leap for me and allowed me the opportunity to do things like explore
[00:32:30.600]small towns and dark sky territory that I never got to see in urban California.
[00:32:37.380]Certainly being creative has been something that was there for my whole life, nurturing
[00:32:41.200]through things like gardening, but also my work with students.
[00:32:45.640]Relationship building is definitely huge and something that I would really easily, if I
[00:32:49.060]was applying to
[00:32:50.200]one of these language learning fellowships, be able to tie that into the goals of the
[00:32:53.940]award, right?
[00:32:54.940]Building mutual understanding with people.
[00:32:57.760]And then finally writing, it was just huge, right?
[00:33:00.040]It just came out through pretty much every part of the list.
[00:33:04.340]And so hopefully as you are thinking about your own story and particular moments you'd
[00:33:08.140]like to highlight, some connections, maybe that you hadn't even thought of before will
[00:33:12.660]come clear.
[00:33:14.420]So as you're writing these essays, be sure to highlight a few key experiences.
[00:33:18.800]But don't try to include
[00:33:19.840]everything you've ever done, right?
[00:33:21.100]That's what the wandering map is for, not the essay, right?
[00:33:23.980]So we can only really show the tip of the iceberg with these word counts.
[00:33:28.520]And we also don't want to just restate the list from your CV or resume or application
[00:33:32.720]form, right?
[00:33:33.720]But we want to go deep.
[00:33:35.800]And so we want to share one or more detailed anecdotes to illustrate why we are a good
[00:33:39.920]fit with a particular program or award.
[00:33:43.520]And really illustrate in very concrete manner, how your experiences or your skills
[00:33:49.480]demonstrate that fit, right?
[00:33:51.800]So we want to increase their confidence that they're choosing the right student for this award.
[00:33:55.880]And then finally, hopefully there's some narrative glue that's holding this all together.
[00:34:00.360]So those common themes or insights that have arisen from your experiences and how they have shaped you.
[00:34:07.720]As you're thinking about getting ready to apply for one of these, certainly I encourage you to connect with me
[00:34:12.560]and with our graduate assistant, Ioanna Kipourou, who is helping me to support CLS applicants this year.
[00:34:19.120]So we will be doing things like offer drop-in hours and other types of support.
[00:34:24.240]We offer advising appointments, and so I will post here in the chat a link to our event calendar
[00:34:29.960]where you can see our drop-in hours that are coming up starting November 13th.
[00:34:33.600]But I also want to encourage you to make use of other mentors, right?
[00:34:37.760]I think very often students will only share their fellowship application with one person
[00:34:42.800]because that can be a very vulnerable experience, but it's a lot more enriching and rewarding
[00:34:47.360]and likely to produce a competitive outcome
[00:34:48.760]If you show it to multiple people and get many perspectives. Remember that these applications
[00:34:55.340]are reviewed by panels that include a lot of people besides just fellowship advisors,
[00:34:59.700]right?
[00:35:00.000]There's language teachers, study abroad professionals who are looking at these applications, right?
[00:35:06.280]And so, you know, every student at UNL has access to a career coach who can help you
[00:35:12.140]think through your career vision.
[00:35:13.400]If you're applying for Boren, this is somebody who can help you to plan out what is a national
[00:35:18.000]security career.
[00:35:18.740]What does a national security career look like in my area of greatest interest, my federal
[00:35:21.940]agencies of greatest interest, right?
[00:35:23.560]And so they can give you some really concrete tips there.
[00:35:26.000]Our Global Experiences friends,
[00:35:28.340]Also, again, every student has access to this.
[00:35:31.240]And what a wonderful person to talk to about what is life really like abroad?
[00:35:36.100]Why is language learning so much more beneficial when you do it abroad?
[00:35:39.860]What is the value of immersion?
[00:35:42.300]But they can also answer questions like, how do I get a passport for the first time?
[00:35:46.660]Or how do I renew one, right?
[00:35:48.500]And so for logistics, very important.
[00:35:50.880]If you are applying for Boren and Gilman, you will also need them to help you pick your
[00:35:55.040]study abroad program and plan your budget, because I do not do that.
[00:35:57.880]My focus is on the essays, right?
[00:36:00.020]Just the fellowship applications.
[00:36:01.240]But the study abroad part of it is definitely done with your Global Experiences contact.
[00:36:05.480]So we have to work in partnership with them.
[00:36:08.000]And I encourage you to connect early and often with them.
[00:36:11.120]All right.
[00:36:12.340]And then we've got the Writing Center.
[00:36:14.060]Can't say enough good things about our wonderful consultants who really help
[00:36:18.260]students at all phases of the writing process from brainstorming to polishing their essays.
[00:36:22.680]Long time back in my career, I also worked in a writing center.
[00:36:26.200]And I truly believe that they can help any student to incredibly shine in these competitions.
[00:36:34.280]So really do use that resource.
[00:36:36.740]Faculty and instructors can really help to support you.
[00:36:41.520]These might be people you're already deeply connected with.
[00:36:43.960]And again, they have knowledge of you, the student, what your unique strengths
[00:36:48.020]are, as well as the kind of career paths that you might be going on after their
[00:36:52.020]class.
[00:36:52.340]So why not ask them about language learning and how it can play a role?
[00:36:55.640]Work supervisors, many students have great relationships with these folks.
[00:36:59.640]And again, when you're talking about career plans, but also your overall just
[00:37:03.780]professional development, how does language learning produce competencies and
[00:37:08.300]skills that you can use in your particular line of work?
[00:37:12.260]Wonderful to talk to them about these fellowships.
[00:37:15.400]And then finally, other mentors.
[00:37:16.820]Every student has.
[00:37:17.980]Access to different people, maybe people who just genuinely believe in you and
[00:37:22.860]care about you. It could be a sports coach.
[00:37:25.960]It could be someone in your church.
[00:37:28.360]It can be a member of your community, a neighbor or somebody who just really has
[00:37:32.140]always had your back.
[00:37:33.460]But everyone needs a cheerleader, especially in these competitive fellowships.
[00:37:38.020]And so I really encourage you to encounter all of these people as part of your work
[00:37:44.380]of applying to these fellowships and
[00:37:47.800]To let them support you.
[00:37:47.960]To let them be around you and in community with you.
[00:37:50.320]All right.
[00:37:51.980]So our website is uraf.unl.edu.
[00:37:55.320]And we have a range of resources on our website for students who are applying to
[00:38:00.560]international fellowships, research awards, public service awards, all kinds of things.
[00:38:05.900]So do check it out.
[00:38:07.920]We do offer advising appointments year-round.
[00:38:10.540]We do have those drop-in hours coming up for CLS specifically.
[00:38:13.720]But I'm happy to chat with you about any fellowship on our supported list.
[00:38:18.940]I'll stick around here for just a minute to see if anybody has questions.
[00:38:22.420]Since we're a small group today, you can feel free to unmute.
[00:38:25.180]All right.
[00:38:44.900]Well, if there are no questions for me today,
[00:38:47.920]perhaps you'll think of one later.
[00:38:48.940]You can always email me.
[00:38:53.200]I'm happy to take questions by email or to see you at our upcoming drop-in hours.
[00:38:57.720]Thanks so much for being here today.
[00:38:59.980]It was great to have you and to get you ready for some language learning adventures.
[00:39:05.000]Good luck.
[00:39:06.600]Bye-bye.

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Language Learning Fellowships Information Session

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