UND NSPA Monthly Communiqué
May 2023, Issue 27
Dining on Sundaes
Winning cannot be the primary reason one applies for a national scholarship. This is not to say that an award helping to fund your most ambitious dreams should not be celebrated. But the odds of winning ranges from 2% to 35%. Is there a more meaningful return from the process of applying for scholarships?
I found myself considering this question while listening to a recent panel discussion about mentoring undergraduate students into STEM research moderated by UND’s Dr. Diane Darland and Dr. Archana Dhasarathy. Panelist Dr. Rebecca Simmons described a key purpose to her work as helping students evaluate and form their identity as researchers.
Applying for scholarships is quite similar. By writing personal statements, statements of grant purposes, and academic plans, students try to answer the question of who they hope to be as professionals while learning how to dream big. Winning is the cherry, but applying is the sundae. At the conclusion of a successful experience applying for national scholarships, students can begin to see themselves as future leaders in their discipline of choice. This is the prize that every applicant wins, even if they do not take home a monetary award.
In this issue, I share the story of Claire Arneson. What started as a discussion about scholarship opportunities became an opportunity for Claire to clarify her post-graduate plans, which sparked her application to her dream journalism school, NYU. Meanwhile, Kordell Tan, a semi-finalist for the DoD SMART Scholarship, continues his studies at UND as a PhD student in the UND College of Education and Mines with the support of its Edson & Margaret Larson Biomedical Engineering Scholarship. Kordell also wins the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) Student Paper Competition. As you get ready to break for summer, think about applying for national and international scholarships next year. What better way to top off your college experience at UND than by dining on sundaes!
Congratulations to the seniors graduating this semester! I have known some of these seniors since they were freshman. May your next chapter be full of decadent desserts!
Yee Han Chu PhD MSSW
Academic Support and Fellowship Opportunities Coordinator
Claire Arneson heads to New York City!
How did the experience of talking about and preparing for competitive scholarship applications assist you with your application for post-graduate opportunities?
My experience of talking about competitive scholarship applications inspired me to look at programs I never would have looked at and helped me get accepted into my dream publishing program. As an English major hoping to pursue a career in the book publishing industry, I did not know of many opportunities that would help me gain experience. I heard of the New York University Summer Publishing Institute as well as the Columbia Publishing Course and never thought I would be able to apply much less, get accepted. I visited Career Services, where they recommend, I meet with Dr. Chu. I initially could not see myself being qualified for these scholarships but decided to take a chance and attend a meeting. We talked about all sorts of scholarships for internships, and graduate school. I learned about a world of opportunities that I had no idea existed.
We then talked about the publishing courses. Dr. Chu was kind enough to go through my personal statement, and she did not hold back (thank goodness because it needed some work)! Through the help of Dr. Chu, I was able to create a strong personal statement and gain confidence in my ability to put myself in the running for both competitive programs. I was honored to get accepted into both courses for the Summer of 2023. I accepted my place at NYU and am going to be getting hands-on experience working with professionals in the publishing industry in the heart of New York City! This wouldn’t have happened without meeting with Dr. Chu and discussing competitive scholarships. I am very excited about this summer and am excited for what’s to come from it.
From preparing for these scholarships, I have gained insight on how to make my applications stand out against competitors and have learned that just getting your name out there in any way you can is worth it, even if you don’t get an award out of it. Through improving my cover letters, personal statements, and my resume, I feel like I am ready to apply for jobs and/or graduate school after I finish up my bachelors in the Fall of 2023. I am unsure where this road will take me, whether I choose to get an MS in Publishing from NYU, or if I will jump write into the industry, but wherever I end up, I am happy I feel at least a bit more prepared then I was before this experience.
Kordell Tan wins American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) Student Paper Competition & UND's Edson & Maragret Larson Biomedical Engineering Scholarship
Kordell Tan, a BME graduate student and semi-finalist for the DoD Smart Scholarship, won the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) Student Paper Competition. The ACCE Student Paper Competition showcases the extraordinary talents of both undergraduate and graduate clinical engineering students through their development of a paper involving any area of clinical engineering practice. Kordell’s award is given to an enrolled student in a clinical engineering or related Doctorate program whose work “contributes significantly to the body of knowledge in the field.” Kordell is recognized for his paper titled, “Development of a Vein Detecting Imaging System,” which will be published on the ACCE site: https://accenet.org/about/Pages/StudentPaperCompetition.aspx. Kordell's paper was developed through the assistance of Dr. Bo Liang in the EECS 590 course, Advanced Topics in Electrical Engineering.
Kordell also recently received the UND College of Education and Mines' Edson & Margaret Larson Biomedical Engineering Scholarship. This scholarship will help Kordell pursue his research goals: to explore the development of implantable sensors and medical devices for monitoring physiological systems.
Summer Reading
Are you looking for some great books to read this summer?
Ellayna LaFond
What is your book about?
Laura Young
What is your book about?
Ethan Matthews
What is your book about?
All the Light We Cannot See (ATLWCS) is a story which takes place during WWII and focuses on two characters, one a young French girl who is blind and the other who is a young German boy who gets drafted into the Nazi ranks.Sydney Menne
What is your book about?
This book (I'm currently still reading it) has various anecdotes from astronaut Chris Hadfield and relates them back to lessons learned to apply to everyday life.
Thomas Iken
What is your book about?
David Goggins shares how he transcended poverty and abuse to become one of the world’s top endurance athletes. His story reveals how mastering your mind, hard work, and becoming friends with pain can help you achieve the unimaginable.
Emma Cullen
What is your book about?
Dallas McNeal
What is your book about?
Flight in America is about the history of aviation in America.
Madelyn Meek
What is your book about?
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy explores and satirizes many facets of modern life, such as the legitimacy of authority, the absurdity of bureaucracy, and the search for the ultimate answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything.
Mataya Erickson
What is your book about?
Parker Johnsen
What is your book about?
Michaela L. Neal
What is your book about?
This book could be summarized as the "science behind sci-fi" genre. In each series of chapters, Kaku presents futuristic technologies, rooted in theoretical physics and other natural sciences and engineering fields, interwoven with existential questions about our place in the universe and our fate as the human species.Sydney Smith
What is your book about?
Zoe Thompson
What is your book about?
Erin Becker
What is your book about?
This book is about Albom, the author, who visits his old professor every Wednesday as Morrie dies of ALS.
Andrew Wilcox
What is your book about?
A Career with the U.S. Department of State
US Foreign Service Internship Program
Spend two summers in an experiential-learning (not jobs) program designed to expose undergraduate students to U.S. diplomacy and the work of the Department of State. Established in 2014, this merit and needs-based opportunity is available to undergraduate sophomore and junior students with a 3.2 GPA or higher, who are available to participate in two consecutive summer internships as rising juniors and seniors.
The program includes two paid summer internships: (1) Three weeks of academic and professional training in Washington, D.C. followed by seven weeks working in a policy office at the U.S. Department of State and (2) A ten-week assignment in a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad.
Benefits: Students are paid at a GS-4 equivalent rate. The U.S. Department of State provides travel reimbursement and housing assistance for both summers. Students also receive training and mentorship from experienced U.S. Department of State personnel.
For more information: https://careers.state.gov/interns-fellows/us-foreign-service-internship-program/ or Contact Sara Veldhuizen Stealy, Diplomat in Residence: DIRCentral@state.gov
US Department of State Paid Internship Program
The Student Internship Program is now offering paid internship opportunities. It is intended to expand global opportunities for students from all backgrounds who are pursuing post-secondary degrees. All our compensated internships provide opportunities to gain experience and insight into the business of diplomacy as our employees work to advance U.S. interests worldwide. Please join the Talent Network to receive ongoing updates related to the program and the application opening, as well as all our student programs.
It is not uncommon for these students to: (1) Participate in meetings with senior-level U.S. Government or foreign government officials; (2) Draft, edit, or contribute to cables, reports, communications, talking points, or other materials used by policymakers in furthering U.S. foreign policy objectives; or (3) Support events, including international and/or multilateral meetings and conferences. The Spring 2024 Program Cycle’s Call for Applications is scheduled for this Summer.
For more information: https://careers.state.gov/interns-fellows/student-internship-program/ or Contact Sara Veldhuizen Stealy, Diplomat in Residence: DIRCentral@state.gov
Official Scholarship Deadlines
May
- Rotary Global 5.1.23
- Fulbright Specialist Application 5.5.23
- Udall's Native American Graduate Fellowship in Tribal Policy 5.19.23
June
August
- US Foreign Service Internship Program Opens and Closes
- Gilman/Gilman-McCain 8.1.23
September
- Charles Rangel Graduate Fellowship TBA
- Fulbright Scholar Awards 9.15.23
- Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminars-India 9.15.23
- Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminars-Taiwan 9.15.23
- McCall MacBain Scholarship at McGill 9.27.23
- Funds for Education Abroad 9.20.23
- Mitchell Scholarship 9.28.23
- Marshall Scholarship 9.26.23
- Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship TBA
- Schwarzman Scholarship 9.19.23
October
- Rhodes Scholarship 10.4.23
- Fulbright U.S. Student Awards 10.10.23
- Gates Cambridge TBA
- Gilman & Gilman-McCain (First Cycle) 10.5.23
- Knight Hennessy 10.11.23
- NSF GRFP TBA
November
Yee Han Chu PhD MSSW
Academic Support and Fellowship Opportunities Coordinator
Email to schedule an appointment.
I work through the summer with the exception of JULY.
Email: yee.chu@und.edu
Website: https://und.edu/academics/national-scholarships/index.html
Location: Columbia Hall, Room B307
Phone: (701) 777-4436