{"id":23005,"date":"2018-03-09T10:49:47","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T15:49:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciencescosmaincms.cm.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=23005"},"modified":"2019-06-18T15:19:40","modified_gmt":"2019-06-18T19:19:40","slug":"paving-the-path-for-a-future-diplomat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/paving-the-path-for-a-future-diplomat\/","title":{"rendered":"Paving the Path for a Future Diplomat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

By Meredith Harris<\/p>\n

Ever since taking a UCF honors diplomacy course at The Burnett Honors College<\/a>, Amanda Fleming \u201915<\/strong> dreamed of working as a diplomat.<\/p>\n

Armed with a 4.0 GPA and international work experience, the political science major<\/a> (and psychology minor<\/a>) took steps to make herself competitive for a position in the U.S. Foreign Service, but with the current hiring freeze in the State Department, this goal seemed impossible \u2013 until now. Fleming recently received a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, which will provide her the opportunity to work with the State Department\u2019s Foreign Service.<\/p>\n

Fleming recently received a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, which will provide her the opportunity to work with the State Department\u2019s Foreign Service.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This highly competitive fellowship provides academic funding up to $75,000 for its recipients for tuition, housing and books during a two-year master\u2019s degree program focused on a field related to the Foreign Service. During the summer months between academic years, fellows also participate in two State Department internship programs, one in the United States and one abroad. After graduate school, fellows complete a minimum five-year service commitment in the Foreign Service.<\/p>\n

Discovering a Love of Diplomacy\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fleming said her inspiration to begin this journey started at UCF. Her honors diplomacy course with Ambassador Harriet Elam-Thomas sparked her interest in public diplomacy and the Foreign Service. Elam-Thomas was the U.S. ambassador to Senegal from 2000-2002.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the ambassador\u2019s class, I learned about the value of creating mutual understanding between people from different countries through international exchange programs,\u201d Fleming says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIn the ambassador\u2019s class, I learned about the value of creating mutual understanding between people from different countries through international exchange programs,\u201d Fleming says. \u201cI later had the opportunity to work on public-diplomacy initiatives through internships at the World Affairs Council of Central Florida and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduation, Fleming felt she needed to gain international work experience. She had earned a Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate at UCF, so she spent five months teaching English in Thailand before she was awarded a Fulbright English teaching assistantship. From there, she spent 10 months teaching English in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiving in Vietnam was a life-changing experience because I had the opportunity to really immerse myself in the country\u2019s vibrant culture,\u201d says Fleming. \u201cMy students were wonderful, and I deeply cherish the memories and relationships that I made there. The experience solidified my resolve to pursue a career bridging cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Providing a Global Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fleming works in the Global Perspectives Office<\/a> at UCF. As the senior program assistant, she helps run programs that sharpen UCF\u2019s international focus.<\/p>\n

Fleming submitted her application for the Pickering fellowship in January 2017. She was selected as one of the 60 finalists, and completed a final interview and writing assessment through Skype while she was teaching in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

In February, Fleming was informed that a spot had opened up and she was offered the opportunity to be a Pickering fellow. Now, she is preparing to start her journey with the State Department.<\/p>\n

She has been accepted to two master\u2019s programs, and her first hurdle will be deciding to attend either the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver or the School of International Service at American University. Once she finishes her graduate education, she will start her five-year service commitment in the Foreign Service.<\/p>\n

Excited for the possibilities for service, Fleming is also grateful for the role that UCF has played in her journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would not be in this position today without the help and support of my mentors at UCF,\u201d says Fleming. \u201cThe Global Perspectives Office and the Office of Prestigious Awards have been instrumental in helping me to achieve my goals, even as an alumna. These two offices teamed together last spring to help me prepare for the Pickering interview, and I am so grateful for their guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about the Office of Prestigious Awards and how they can help during the application process<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To read original article on UCF Today, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Meredith Harris Ever since taking a UCF honors diplomacy course at The Burnett Honors College, Amanda Fleming \u201915 dreamed of working as a diplomat. Armed with a 4.0 GPA and international work experience, the political science major (and psychology minor) took steps to make herself competitive for a position in the U.S. Foreign Service, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23006,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5962,31,20,3,38,13,22,16,25,28],"tags":[5530,5527,5528,3564,5529,3616],"class_list":["post-23005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-science-alumni","category-alumni-news","category-psaclassnotes","category-awards","category-breaking-news","category-news","category-psychology-departments","category-political-science-departments","category-staff-news","category-top-news","tag-a-thomas-r-pickering-foreign-affairs-fellowship","tag-amanda-flemming","tag-ucf-burnett-honors-college","tag-ucf-global-perspectives","tag-ucf-office-of-prestigious-awards","tag-ucf-political-science-department"],"yoast_head":"\nPaving the Path for a Future Diplomat - College of Sciences News<\/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:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/paving-the-path-for-a-future-diplomat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Paving the Path for a Future Diplomat - College of Sciences News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Meredith Harris Ever since taking a UCF honors diplomacy course at The Burnett Honors College, Amanda Fleming \u201915 dreamed of working as a diplomat. 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