{"id":968,"date":"2020-12-10T08:12:54","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T13:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/majorscholarships\/?page_id=968"},"modified":"2020-12-10T14:37:22","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T19:37:22","slug":"melissa-garand","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/majorscholarships\/melissa-garand\/","title":{"rendered":"Melissa Garand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Name:<\/b> Melissa Garand<\/span><\/p>\n

Major(s):<\/b> MA in Global Policy<\/span><\/p>\n

Year in school: <\/b>Graduate<\/span><\/p>\n

Scholarship received: <\/b>Boren Fellowship<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Year received:<\/b> 2020<\/span><\/p>\n

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General Questions:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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How did you first hear about this scholarship?<\/b><\/p>\n

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I learned about the Boren Fellowship through Nives. I was originally applying for a Fulbright ETA for Saudi Arabia, and she mentioned the Boren to me. I attended an informational session about the fellowship with a representative who came to visit campus, and decided to apply after that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Do you remember where you were when you found out you had received the scholarship? If so, where? Tell us the story!\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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It was sometime in April, so I was in quarantine in my apartment in Orono! I was in my living room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Did you travel for\/because of this scholarship? If so, where?<\/b><\/p>\n

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I was supposed to go to Jordan in June of 2020, now scheduled for June of 2021. In the meantime I have been taking remote courses in Arabic from The Qasid Arabic Institute in Jordan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What was your favorite aspect of the scholarship experience? (Ex. travel, experiences, learning a new language, research opportunities, etc.)<\/b><\/p>\n

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I think my favorite aspect so far has been getting a head-start on learning Arabic in a one-on-one online setting. This has allowed me to learn the language at my own pace. It has helped me immensely in preparing to (hopefully) live and study in Jordan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Did receiving this scholarship affect your future academic and\/or career goals?<\/b><\/p>\n

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When you become a Boren recipient you’re obligated to work for the Federal Government for at least a year after finishing your academic work. Finding a federal job is a long process, so I will be looking for an interim job to work while I apply for federal positions.<\/p>\n

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What advice do you have for others who may be interested in applying for this scholarship?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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One of the things that is most important with<\/span> any <\/span><\/i>major scholarship application is to start early. Ask multiple people to review your essays, and be prepared to complete multiple drafts of the essays that you write.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Boren Awards specifically are looking for those who are truly interested in federal service. It is very important to spend time thinking about your personal career goals and priorities. Where do you see yourself fitting within the broad category of federal service?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I spent a lot of time conducting research and creating a plan for my abroad experience and employment afterward. This allowed me to approach the application with a lot of confidence about what I could bring to the fellowship, as well as what I was hoping to get out of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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When applying for a Boren Award, it is important to take a broad approach to what national security means. Don’t limit yourself by equating national security with solely military and defense work. Take a look at the many topics that Boren offers as a guideline, and don’t forget to explore avenues that genuinely interest you.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Any tips for marketing yourself in an application?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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A good way to approach your application is to think about it as very similar to writing a cover letter. You should be able to say “these are my experiences, this is my background, and this is why it will help.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Particularly in the case of Boren, self-advocacy and independent research is very important. Create your scholarship or fellowship plan ahead of time and explore as many options as you can. Personally, I applied to The Qasid Arabic Institute prior to completing my Boren application. Once I received acceptance to this institute, I was able to tailor my Boren application to the experience that I hope to have there. I also coupled this university experience with an internship, and included this information in my application. The Boren Awards like to know that you are independently capable of achieving your goals. If you show them that you are able to do so, it will enrich your application overall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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With Boren, it is very important to emphasize the fact that you have a plan in place already. Decide what you’re doing with your time while you’re abroad, which federal jobs interest you when you return, and how you will connect these experiences. I found it was beneficial to be as open as possible with living options as well. The Boren Awards sometimes offer a homestay experience as part of your time abroad, and they love to see that you are willing to take that leap!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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How did you incorporate your personal skills\/outside interests into your application?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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In my second essay, I talked about the confidence that I have\u00a0 in my own ability to learn a foreign language. I have been a long-term French student, and was able to study French in France for a period of time. These experiences have taught me the skills that I need to continue to learn a language even while experiencing other new and potentially stressful things such as academia or work in a foreign country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I also interned abroad in Bulgaria for a summer, and was teaching myself Bulgarian ahead of time to help with that. Though many of the individuals that I worked with spoke English, I found that being able to speak at least a bit of their native language helped immensely with communication. I found it helpful in my application to emphasize <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> I found it important with someone in their native language. This allowed me to explore my own experiences with different cultures and languages while also demonstrating my ability to adapt to different situations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Name: Melissa Garand Major(s): MA in Global Policy Year in school: Graduate Scholarship received: Boren Fellowship Year received: 2020   General Questions:     How did you first hear about this scholarship?   I learned about the Boren Fellowship through Nives. I was originally applying for a Fulbright ETA for Saudi Arabia, and she mentioned […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1185,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-968","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nMelissa Garand - Office of Major Scholarships - University of Maine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/majorscholarships\/melissa-garand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Melissa Garand - Office of Major Scholarships - University of Maine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Name: Melissa Garand Major(s): MA in Global Policy Year in school: Graduate Scholarship received: Boren Fellowship Year received: 2020   General Questions:     How did you first hear about this scholarship?   I learned about the Boren Fellowship through Nives. 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