Close to one year ago, Rashmi Sharma attended a Women’s Center Brown Bag Lunch and Learn conducted by Director of Grant Development and Projects in the Graduate College at Ohio University, Roxanne Male-Brune.
The second-year doctorate student did not believe Male-Brune’s session about the American Association of University Women Fellowship would be of benefit to her, but budding curiosity about the organization drove her to find out more.
Sharma now stands as a recipient of AAUW’s International Fellowship for the 2014-2015 year.
On Thursday, the Women’s Center will collaborate with the Graduate College in hosting their second brown bag discussion entitled “How to Write a Competitive AAUW Fellowship Application,” guided by Male-Brune.
AAUW is a non-profit organization that awards grants and fellowships to women pursuing graduate studies that advocate women or are involved in activities that promote women.
Male-Brune will introduce the women to “Pivot”: an online search engine that allows students to discover worldwide funding opportunities to conduct their research.
She also plans to discuss the requirements and guidelines for AAUW applications, as well as how to interpret the questions and prompts to write compelling responses worthy of selection.
The application process was initially overwhelming, Sharma said. Along with writing numerous essays and a proposal, applicants need documents from the university, different departments and academic advisors all in a timely fashion.
“You need somebody who is persistent with you, who is following up with you the whole time,” said Sharma.
For Sharma, Male-Brune acted as her mentor and motivator to complete the tedious application.
Male-Brune hopes that Sharma’s success will inspire other women to realize that winning the award is possible.
“Not only will (potential applicants) see the opportunities and success, but they’ll see that they’re not alone and that there (are) resources that we provide that make the process easier,” said Male-Brune.
Students interested in any kind of funding are encouraged to attend, including undergrads that might be applying to study or intern abroad.
“Even if you don't end up writing the application for these fellowships, I'm sure Roxanne is going to have some great tips and tricks to make your application stand out, and that's something that's going to hold someone in stead for many years to come,” said Sarah Jenkins, program coordinator for the Women’s Center and LGBT Center.
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