Become the Next Student Diplomat!
NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Abroad View Foundation host an annual Student Diplomat Essay Competition for study abroad students and alumni. Students are invited to submit a compelling story that articulates how their undergraduate international experience(s) have helped meet the United States’ need to understand global situations and compete in the global arena. Click here to download a flyer.
If you are interested in entering the 2008 Student Diplomat Essay Competition, please address one of the questions below in your essay and submit it by the November 14, 2008 deadline to studentdiplomat@nafsa.org.
1. Shaping your Identity
How has your study abroad experience informed the way you view yourself as an American and as a global citizen?
2. Foreign policy
Based on your experience overseas, how do you think study abroad promotes mutual understanding with other countries and cultures to advance U.S. foreign policy?
3. Countering Anti-Americanism Abroad
How did your experiences and/or interactions studying abroad further cross-cultural understanding between your host country and the United States or perhaps correct a misperception within your host country about the United States and/or Americans?
Eligibility: The Student Diplomat Essay Competition is open to U.S. citizens who have had an undergraduate study abroad experience, whether they are currently enrolled through an accredited college or university or have studied abroad since spring of 2004.
Terms: All submissions will be considered for publication by “Abroad View” and NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The winner will be awarded a cash prize of $150 and an STA Travel voucher worth $300.
Guidelines: Essays should be a minimum of 1,000 words and no more than 1,500 words. The deadline for entries is November 14, 2008. Earlier submissions are welcome, as they will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All essays must include the following to be considered: Full contact name, complete contact information with e-mail address, college or alma mater, and your study abroad program along with the year you studied abroad. E-mail your essay to studentdiplomat@nafsa.org.
This year's winning essay explores how an education abroad in Egypt led to personal and cultural awakenings for Hammad Hammad, a Palestinian-American student at Georgetown University.
Hammad decided to enter the competition because he believes in the importance of study abroad. "I wish every American could have a chance to explore the complexities and excitement of living and learning in a different country, to explore the culture and diverse traditions of that country" he said. "Study abroad is a way of exploring both the world and oneself."
» Read Hammad's essay.
Meet the 2006
Student Diplomat:
Kevin Adler's essay "Conquering Fears, Embracing Differences" was awarded first place.
» Read Kevin's essay.
Kevin Adler was a senior politics major at Occidental College. He studied abroad in fall 2005 at University College London in England. Kevin returned to England this year to do a one year master's degree in modern society and global transformations at Cambridge University.
Meet the 2006
Student Diplomat
Runner-Up: 
Matthew Linden's essay "Going Abroad to Find the Meaning of Home" was awarded second place. » Read Matthew's essay.
Matthew Linden was a Barrett Honors College & Business Honors Student at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State Univ. He graduated in fall 2007 with a B.A. in German and a B.S. in Supply Chain Management. He spent his junior year studying at the Univ. of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany as a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Scholar.
In celebration of the congressionally designated Year of Study Abroad (2006) and to highlight the valuable role study abroad plays in connecting students with the world, NAFSA: Association of International Educators and Abroad View co-hosted the first-ever Student Diplomat Essay Competition in 2006. In addition to receiving $150 and a $300 STA Travel Voucher, the inaugural winner and Hammad Bassam Hammad, the 2007 winner, also received an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for NAFSA’s Advocacy Day, which takes place each year in March.
Special Thanks
Thank you to Jed Willard for assisting Abroad View in reviewing the 2007 Student Diplomat Essay Competition entries.
We appreciate the assistance of the Student Diplomat Essay Competition 2006 judges: Janet F. Alperstein of Rothberg International School at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Gail Bier of University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Adrian Beaulieu of Smith College, John M. Keller of Penn State University, Elizabeth Rossmiller of Grand Valley State University, Abroad View Editor-at-Large Erica Schlaikjer of Northwestern University, and Susan Thompson of University of Nevada.
We also extend special thanks to Janice Mulholland, Government and Press Relations Associate for Public Policy at NAFSA, and Sherry Schwarz, Director of the Abroad View Foundation, for coordinating the 2006 Student Diplomat Essay Competition.
