2. The essay should not exceed 1000 words.
1. What is your reason for applying for a Flagship Fellowship?
2. What past experiences have influenced your desire to advance your language capabilities significantly?
3. How do you plan to apply the training you receive as it relates to your field of study and/or area of expertise?
4. How does this advanced training fit into your professional goals?
5. How do your professional goals relate to the mission of NSEP and to U.S. national security?
Why apply for a Flagship Fellowship? As a veteran of the Intelligence Community I have an awareness of the importance of language proficiency and cultural understanding to national security. My experiences have shown me that a highly trained professional is an indispensable asset to the Intelligence Community and the intense environment offered at the Arabic Flagship Program at the University of Maryland, my alma mater, produces this type of professional.
Through my six years of service as a voice interceptor and Arabic translator, four and a half which were at the National Security Agency-Georgia at the S2E2 division and my academic experiences with Arabic, I have demonstrated the commitment to service required of graduates of the AFP and the capacity to apply Arabic in the workplace. Additionally, I am also a graduate of the Defense Language Institute's Basic Arabic program, earning a diploma with honors. I was invited to the domestic AFP program in 2008 and I deferred my enrollment until the summer of 2009 at the University of Maryland. Subsequently, I am searching for funding to become a cohort of the domestic and overseas portions of the program because the GI Bill can not cover the costs of the Flagship Program. Most importantly, the Flagship Fellowship is not only a means to funding for the AFP, but an opportunity for me re-enter the field of national security as an experienced and qualified langauge professional.
After my service I have continuously strived to improve my production of Arabic and understanding of the geopolitics of the region through several courses focused on Arabic, intelligence, and international conflict management at the University of Maryland. I am also currently enrolled in two graduate courses this spring at Johns Hopkins University focused on national security studies.
In addition to domestic language courses, I have spent extended periods overseas in the Middle East immersing myself in the language, culture, and politics of the region. My first trip to Jordan was a training mission with the Jordanian Electronic Warfare Directorate, working directly with the Jordanian military exclusively in Arabic for one month. My second trip was a summer semester at the University of Jordan studying standard Arabic and Levantine dialect and I am currently on my third trip to Jordan spending a fall semester at the University of Jordan.
One of my most beneficial experiences in language acquisition overseas is at my current place of employment, Books@Cafe, a popular bookstore and restaurant located in Amman. At Books@Cafe I work at the counter selling books and providing customer service to customers who only speak Arabic. This has not only provided me with employment, but I have realized the best method for me to learn is through usage and speaking in an immersive environment and this has reenergized my hopes of true advancement in language learning. In the short period time I have spent in this environment I have progressed noticeably in spoken Arabic and vocabulary and I would like to continue this experience in the immersive environment at the University of Maryland and the overseas duration of the Flagship program.
One might wonder with this amount of experience, education, and training why I haven't acquired my desired level of fluency. Quite frankly, the dilemma with my experiences, from my time with the Jordanian Electronic Warfare Directorate to my time at NSA-G, was that the vocabulary was drawn from a limited scope of subject matter. As a result I excelled on the MSA and Iraqi Defense Language Proficiency Tests, but I have not mastered Arabic. In my post Army experiences, I have continued to work on Arabic and seek out challenges to enhance my linguistic and cultural knowledge. The Flagship Program is that challenge.
I did not choose Arabic, Arabic was chosen for me when I was soldier in Basic Combat Training, but since my second week of studies at DLI I have known that I want to work in Arabic or the Middle East in some form or fashion. One option I have explored is returning to work at the NSA utilizing my past experience and my proficiency in Arabic gained in the Flagship Program as a subject matter expert and translator. The knowledge acquired in the Flagship Program will not only give me structured instruction, but give me the opportunity to spend a full year in the Middle East learning culture and traditions. I've been in the position where not fully understanding the culture has led to not fully understanding the language. This is important to positions such as subject matter expert, where analysis goes beyond the words spoken, but the cultural context behind those words.
I am also enthusiastic about the possibility of returning to DLI as a higly qualified Military Language Instructor. During my time in Monterey the MLI was the connection between the language focused training in the classroom and the usage of the Arabic in the military. Not only a highly qualified teacher/linguist, the MLI mentors students during the initial phase of language learning and in my experience Sergeant Schroeder was an irreplaceable member of the DLI team. As someone who has experienced the tough, and sometimes intimidating, environment at DLI, I would like to someday pass on the guindance that was given to me and helped make me a successful student.
My previous work experience and future professional goals complement NSEP's mission of "Strengthening national security through critical language and culture expertise." I have served my country honorably as a soldier and I would like to continue serving my country after advanced language and cultural training. Because of the possibilities of advancement through an immersive environment, I would cherish a flagship fellowship. I am fully prepared to use my knowledge domestically or in locations like Iraq in any agency. I am glad I made the decision to become a member of the military and later to continue studying Arabic. Thank you for considering my candidacy and I look forward to being a student in the AFP in 2009.
1. What is your reason for applying for a Flagship Fellowship?
2. What past experiences have influenced your desire to advance your language capabilities significantly?
3. How do you plan to apply the training you receive as it relates to your field of study and/or area of expertise?
4. How does this advanced training fit into your professional goals?
5. How do your professional goals relate to the mission of NSEP and to U.S. national security?
Why apply for a Flagship Fellowship? As a veteran of the Intelligence Community I have an awareness of the importance of language proficiency and cultural understanding to national security. My experiences have shown me that a highly trained professional is an indispensable asset to the Intelligence Community and the intense environment offered at the Arabic Flagship Program at the University of Maryland, my alma mater, produces this type of professional.
Through my six years of service as a voice interceptor and Arabic translator, four and a half which were at the National Security Agency-Georgia at the S2E2 division and my academic experiences with Arabic, I have demonstrated the commitment to service required of graduates of the AFP and the capacity to apply Arabic in the workplace. Additionally, I am also a graduate of the Defense Language Institute's Basic Arabic program, earning a diploma with honors. I was invited to the domestic AFP program in 2008 and I deferred my enrollment until the summer of 2009 at the University of Maryland. Subsequently, I am searching for funding to become a cohort of the domestic and overseas portions of the program because the GI Bill can not cover the costs of the Flagship Program. Most importantly, the Flagship Fellowship is not only a means to funding for the AFP, but an opportunity for me re-enter the field of national security as an experienced and qualified langauge professional.
After my service I have continuously strived to improve my production of Arabic and understanding of the geopolitics of the region through several courses focused on Arabic, intelligence, and international conflict management at the University of Maryland. I am also currently enrolled in two graduate courses this spring at Johns Hopkins University focused on national security studies.
In addition to domestic language courses, I have spent extended periods overseas in the Middle East immersing myself in the language, culture, and politics of the region. My first trip to Jordan was a training mission with the Jordanian Electronic Warfare Directorate, working directly with the Jordanian military exclusively in Arabic for one month. My second trip was a summer semester at the University of Jordan studying standard Arabic and Levantine dialect and I am currently on my third trip to Jordan spending a fall semester at the University of Jordan.
One of my most beneficial experiences in language acquisition overseas is at my current place of employment, Books@Cafe, a popular bookstore and restaurant located in Amman. At Books@Cafe I work at the counter selling books and providing customer service to customers who only speak Arabic. This has not only provided me with employment, but I have realized the best method for me to learn is through usage and speaking in an immersive environment and this has reenergized my hopes of true advancement in language learning. In the short period time I have spent in this environment I have progressed noticeably in spoken Arabic and vocabulary and I would like to continue this experience in the immersive environment at the University of Maryland and the overseas duration of the Flagship program.
One might wonder with this amount of experience, education, and training why I haven't acquired my desired level of fluency. Quite frankly, the dilemma with my experiences, from my time with the Jordanian Electronic Warfare Directorate to my time at NSA-G, was that the vocabulary was drawn from a limited scope of subject matter. As a result I excelled on the MSA and Iraqi Defense Language Proficiency Tests, but I have not mastered Arabic. In my post Army experiences, I have continued to work on Arabic and seek out challenges to enhance my linguistic and cultural knowledge. The Flagship Program is that challenge.
I did not choose Arabic, Arabic was chosen for me when I was soldier in Basic Combat Training, but since my second week of studies at DLI I have known that I want to work in Arabic or the Middle East in some form or fashion. One option I have explored is returning to work at the NSA utilizing my past experience and my proficiency in Arabic gained in the Flagship Program as a subject matter expert and translator. The knowledge acquired in the Flagship Program will not only give me structured instruction, but give me the opportunity to spend a full year in the Middle East learning culture and traditions. I've been in the position where not fully understanding the culture has led to not fully understanding the language. This is important to positions such as subject matter expert, where analysis goes beyond the words spoken, but the cultural context behind those words.
I am also enthusiastic about the possibility of returning to DLI as a higly qualified Military Language Instructor. During my time in Monterey the MLI was the connection between the language focused training in the classroom and the usage of the Arabic in the military. Not only a highly qualified teacher/linguist, the MLI mentors students during the initial phase of language learning and in my experience Sergeant Schroeder was an irreplaceable member of the DLI team. As someone who has experienced the tough, and sometimes intimidating, environment at DLI, I would like to someday pass on the guindance that was given to me and helped make me a successful student.
My previous work experience and future professional goals complement NSEP's mission of "Strengthening national security through critical language and culture expertise." I have served my country honorably as a soldier and I would like to continue serving my country after advanced language and cultural training. Because of the possibilities of advancement through an immersive environment, I would cherish a flagship fellowship. I am fully prepared to use my knowledge domestically or in locations like Iraq in any agency. I am glad I made the decision to become a member of the military and later to continue studying Arabic. Thank you for considering my candidacy and I look forward to being a student in the AFP in 2009.