Highlighting our Grads: UT senior selected for abroad fellowship to Amsterdam
Ediobong Ebiefung–a UT senior–was one of 40 U.S. students chosen to participate in the 2014 Humanity in Action Fellowship, departing for Amsterdam at the end of May. Ebiefung applied as a sophomore and was not selected, but claims that after his foreign experience and studying abroad, he wanted to try again with help from the Honors program, Global Studies, and the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships. While he may not know the specifics of his trip currently, Ebiefung is mostly excited to explore the Netherlands, and to get to know other students selected for this fellowship.
UT senior Ediobong Ebiefung was chosen as one of 40 students from the U.S. to participate in the 2014 Humanity in Action Fellowship, which sends students abroad to learn about a country’s history, focusing on immigration, minority issues and discrimination.
Following graduation, he will be traveling to Amsterdam from May 26 to June 29.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting the other students,” said Ebiefung. “I’m interested in seeing their backgrounds and what they bring to the table.”
Ebiefung is double majoring in Political Science and Global Studies. He applied for the fellowship because he enjoys traveling and has abroad experience. Ebiefung has previously studied abroad in Bulgaria and France.
“I actually saw some of the issues they discussed first hand,” Ebiefung said.
The application process consists of filling in general information, writing a personal statement, and writing 2 response essays based on given reading material. If chosen, students will have a Skype or phone interview, and will later be informed whether or not they were selected.
He applied for this fellowship his sophomore year, but was not selected. “In the back of my mind, I was always thinking about doing it again in the future,” said Ebiefung.
Ebiefung said he worked closely with Global Studies, the Honors program, and the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships (ONSAF). Ebiefung recommends more students to apply for these competitive scholarships and fellowships.
“I was sort of surprised by the attention that it got,” Ebiefung said. “I didn’t think that it would become such a big deal, but it is flattering.”
While Ebiefung does not have a full itinerary yet, he knows he will be visiting certain attractions including the Council of Correlations, the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., and will attend a large, international conference towards the end of June.
Edited by Nichole Stevens
