A successful Muskie [6] fellowship experience prepares a fellow to serve as a thought leader in his or her home country upon completion of the program. For the 2010 Muskie fellow cohort, the U.S.-based portion of the path to enhanced technical skills, knowledge, leadership skills, and international perspectives began with the 2010 Muskie Fellowship Opening Workshop, held August 6-8 at Gallaudet University’s Kellogg Conference Center in Washington, DC.
IREX staff worked alongside current Muskie fellows to provide advice on adjusting to life in the US, succeeding in graduate school, securing professional internship experience, and designing a community service project. The event laid the foundation for successful fellowships by providing an opportunity for the new Muskie fellows to network with one another, forming a support system to help them navigate graduate study in the U.S.
“It was great that the training methodology and the group leaders were interactive and involved the fellows,” commented one participant. Another fellow praised the workshop design for “uniting people and bringing them to the realization of one big cause.”
Workshop sessions highlighted mutual understanding and professional connections. “Not only academics should be important but also socializing, networking, and representing my country’s culture well,” one fellow realized. In regard to the session on community service projects, another fellow learned that “community service is not just a program requirement but also means to accept the community as yours and be ready to give people a hand.”
“I feel more powerful,” one fellow commented on the overall effect of the workshop.
The Opening Workshop included a luncheon featuring speakers and guests from the Department of State and several foreign embassies. Mary Ellen Koenig, Chief of the Europe/Eurasia Branch of the Office of Academic Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, gave a warm welcome to the incoming fellows and congratulated them on becoming finalists through a competitive selection process. IREX President W. Robert Pearson addressed the new Muskie fellows and wished them success in their academic and professional endeavors. Nearly 4,000 candidates applied for 142 available fellowships in the 2010 cycle.