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FOS Scholarships Help Forge Strong US-Slovak Ties

Why study in the US? This is a question that has been posed more sharply for the current generation of students in Slovakia than for their predecessors, given the vast array of opportunities for studying at universities in other EU countries now that Slovakia is also part of the EU. For many students, the question includes a financial dimension, as opportunities to study in the EU are often free or low cost, and transportation within Europe is not as expensive as it is to the United States.

As an organization devoted to improving and maintaining good relations among citizens of Slovakia and those of the U.S., Friends of Slovakia is committed to helping make summer study in the U.S. possible for students from Slovakia.

Since 2004, FOS has helped fund the participation of eight students in the summer institutes of the Fund for American Studies. Held at Georgetown University, the three institutes of the Fund bring together students from all 50 states and from over 80 countries for a rigorous program that combines academic coursework and practical internship experience.

In addition to the two students who will participate in this year's program who are profiled elsewhere in this issue, FOS has given partial scholarships to Ondrej Soucuvka,MartinMikolas, and Eva Majernikova, all students of the University of Economics in Bratislava, as well as to Anna Stancakova, a law student at the University of Pavol Jozef Safarik, Martin Korcek, who completed his studies atWageningen University in the Netherlands and Jana Sebosikova, who attendedMatej Bel University in Banska Bystrica and Charles University in Prague.While inWashington, students have interned at a variety of places including US Steel's Office of Government Relations, the Student Conservation Association, Radio Free Europe, and McGuireWoods, an international law and government affairs firm. Upon completion of their summer courses, FOS sponsored students have won scholarships for further study in Europe; worked as advisors for the PrimeMinister and the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava, and served as officers at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Bratislava.

Students who have participated have been uniformly positive about their experiences both in and outside of the classroom. In addition to the activities organized by the Fund for American Studies, students have frequently been dinner guests of the Slovak Ambassador and have met with FOS board and advisory committee members inWashington.

FOS has been able to fund scholarships for these students thanks to the generous support of FOS members and sponsors, particularly those who have attended the gala dinners held in Bratislava.We will continue to raise funds for this important program. Interested donors may contribute by sending a donation to the FOS address shown on the membership form or may contact Bill Tucker at tuckintl@radix.net.