Celebrating America's Founding Texts
In recognition of the upcoming 250-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Gilman program has updated their Citizen Diplomacy essay prompt to include a sub-prompt:
Articulate any specific plans that involve showcasing America’s 250th anniversary while in your host community.
One of our successful Gilman applicants responded to this new prompt by describe their plan to celebrate American culture and history through music, highlighting a shared interest with their host community. This approach personalizes the applicant, making the reader aware of their unique passions and interests that they will share with their host community while abroad:
During America’s 250th anniversary, I will highlight examples of creativity and community engagement that have always resonated with me, such as jazz improvisation and youth-led innovation initiatives. I hope to share these stories with my peers abroad, not as a history lesson, but as a springboard for discussion about resilience, creativity, and collaboration in each of our national contexts. Sharing American music traditions, like jazz improvisation or interactive concerts, while experiencing the traditional music of my host country alongside my peers will provide opportunities to compare and discuss the role of music in cultural identity while highlight creativity and innovation. These conversations will demonstrate that being American is less about nationality and more about openness, curiosity, and creativity.
Another successful applicant chose to build off the US State Department’s wider programming initiative in the works at American embassies and consulates abroad. This approach demonstrated that the student had researched available opportunities for collaboration and suggests to the reader that the applicant will make the most use of opportunities available to them:
In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the local U.S. Embassy will host an Independence Day celebration for both citizens of the host country and visiting Americans. As I will be on my internship experience during this anniversary, I plan to engage with my host community through this celebration meant to strengthen the bilateral diplomatic relationship. I look forward to attending the community celebration and being actively engaged in intercultural discussions between Americans and members of our host community. In gratitude for their hospitality, I will also engage with my host family by sharing different customs of American culture, such as common foods and films that Americans engage with on Independence Day.