They have fought in Iraq, comforted AIDS orphans in Swaziland and protested genocide in Darfur. Now, they are headed to Ireland for a year of graduate study.
The U.S.-Ireland Alliance, a nonprofit organization that unites people with interests in U.S. and Irish affairs, announced last week the selection of its eighth class of George J. Mitchell Scholars, who will spend next school year doing graduate work at universities in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, in the south.
The scholarship often goes to students interested in peace and conflict studies. Its namesake, former Sen. George Mitchell, helped orchestrate the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended the 30-year “Troubles” in Northern Ireland.
“Every single one of [the Mitchell scholars] is committed to the ideal that what unites us is more important than what divides us,” scholarship director Mary Lou Hartman said. Selected students display academic excellence, a record of leadership and a sustained commitment to service, she said.
The 12 scholarship winners include 2nd Lt. Sean Healy, a West Point graduate stationed in Iraq, who will study international security and conflict; Brendan Hayes, a graduate of St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., who works with AIDS orphans in Africa through the Swazi National AIDS council and will study development; and Nathaniel Wright, a Georgetown University student who founded in 2004 Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, which now has more than 500 chapters worldwide. Mr. Wright will study international human rights law.
Not all students will study peace and conflict issues during their year in Ireland. Midshipman Allison Barlow, who attends the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, will study meteorology. After experiencing Hurricanes Hugo and Fran during her childhood in Charleston, S.C., she wants to help those affected by tropical storms.
“I’m very familiar with the suffering,” she said.
She said study abroad is a good fit for her future because of the global scale of meteorological issues and Ireland’s involvement with the Kyoto Protocol.
“As a military officer, I think that it’s essential to get as much international experience as possible before you actually go out into the world and lead troops,” she said.
Noel Fahey, Ireland’s ambassador to the United States, said the scholarship program helps strengthen his country’s ties with the U.S.
“This outstanding program, involving universities north and south, brings together future leaders from the U.S.A.,” he said. “The program enriches our mutual understanding and enhances the spirit of service and leadership.”
U.S.-Ireland Alliance President Trina Vargo, who was in Ireland to cook Thanksgiving dinner for current Mitchell scholars, said the students also will volunteer in Irish communities.
“Irish people make an assumption that they understand everything about the U.S., but they don’t always,” she said.
Ms. Vargo said the 38 million Americans who claim Irish ancestry and the 500 American companies with European headquarters in Ireland indicate strong American interest in the country, which is the 10th largest foreign investor in the United States and has created 50,000 U.S. jobs.
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