Boren Fellowship: Essay 1

In one integrated essay, give equal attention to each point:

1.     Explain the significance of your proposed country, region, and language to US national security.

2.     Describe how the country, language, and proposed study plan you selected will help you achieve your career goals, including your plans to fulfill the federal service requirement. 

3.   Describe how the skills you will gain during your Boren program of study, including linguistic and cultural competencies will help you help you fulfill the federal service requirement

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The significance of learning French and Wolof in Senegal to US national security is multifaceted. While the world is dealing with circumstances fueled by extremist religious and militant organizations, the Senegalese have mastered a constitutional democracy and pluralistic society that demonstrates political stability and an absence of extremist groups. This begs the question, what is so exceptional about Senegal? What can be done to ensure continued stability and how can these methods be reproduced in other countries suffering from political instability, non-democratic governments and/or Islamic extremism? A Boren Fellowship in conjunction with the African Flagship Language Initiative will allow me to broaden and strengthen my linguistic competencies and build upon my cultural awareness and sensitivity. In addition to language classes, I will also have an academic internship with a regional NGO (Tostan) and a research project focusing on women’s impact on Senegal’s political stability. These components will lead me to a better understanding of the people of Senegal and West Africa and the problems they face. In turn, my understanding will help my government to apply or replicate Senegal’s successes elsewhere, which will pave the way for heightened US national security and global stability.

In addition to Senegal’s relevance to US national security, I’ve chosen Wolof and French in Senegal because of my long-term interest in the country and region. I have been focused on a career in Sub- Saharan Africa for over 10 years and began French in 2009 precisely because many countries in West and Central Africa are Francophone.

According to the CIA World Factbook, nearly 95% of Senegal’s population practices Islam, and all of its bordering countries are predominantly Muslim. The US has a complicated history with extremist jihadist groups, many of whom have been deemed Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the US Department of State. Al-Qaeda affiliated groups have been emerging in the region, predominantly in Mali and Nigeria. It is intriguing to me that despite Senegal’s proximity to these and other extremes groups, the Senegalese have maintained moderate practices of Islam and a stable, democratic government.

The presence of a constitutional democracy and pluralistic society in Senegal also warrants recognition. The continent of Africa has suffered a host of dictators and overall rampant corruption since independence. Remarkably, Senegal is the only West African country that has never experienced a coup. This is why I believe the US must make strides to understand what is happening in Senegal, as it is unique for its stability.

Since I began higher education, nearly all of my research has concentrated on Sub-Saharan Africa and women. I am currently conducting an independent study with my research advisor focusing on gender and development in preparation for my Boren research project. This research project has already been approved by the West African Research Center in Senegal where I will first taking linguistic classes and then working as an affiliated researcher. As part of this project, I will be assessing women’s participation in formal and non-formal government and how it has an impact on Senegal’s democracy and moderate Islam. Through my academic internship with Tostan, I will be able to make connections throughout the country as the organization focuses on the empowerment of women and girls throughout the region. In light of Senegal’s new gender parity law, women as components to Senegal’s strong democracy and moderate Islamic practices are worthy of deeper examination.

Senegalese women provide an opportunity for researchers such as myself to deliver the US effective counterterrorism measures that could be implemented domestically and around the world. This regional and global stability in light of my research will amplify US national security. Through the discovery of Senegal’s methods from my work, US national security can be magnified and the US government will be better enabled to counteract terrorism and promote democracy in West Africa and around the world.

By having the opportunity to live, learn and interact in Senegal, I will build and gain necessary skills that will directly contribute to my career in the federal government as well US national security. Overall, my career goal is to serve. Since I have lived, worked and studied in West Africa on two different occasions, I feel a personal attachment to and passion for the region. For more than 10 years I have been working toward a career that increases global stability and social justice worldwide; there is no better place to accomplish this than serving with the American government. Proficiency in French and Wolof will give me the ability to effectively communicate while my internship and research project will give me in-depth, first- hand experience evaluating women’s impact on stability in Senegal. These intimate understandings are rare, and when I am an employee of the federal government I will be able to aid my country in its stride for national security.

As a professional, I have demonstrated the ability to build solid relationships domestically and abroad enabling me to not only represent my country in a respectable manner but also bring back cultural expertise of particular regions. This duality gives me the means to act as a liaison bridging cultural and political gaps between my country and others. While abroad for the Boren, I will have the opportunity to build relationships with the Senegalese through language classes, a long-term internship, a research project and day-to-day activates in the city.

I am interested in working for several different government departments and agencies but primarily USAID where I believe that my expertise and zeal would best be utilized. When I am ready to fulfill my federal service requirement and begin my career with the US government, I will have earned my Masters of Arts in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management with a specialization in Monitoring and Evaluation. I will have spent nearly five years living, working and or/studying in 17 African nations and possess expertise on a very important and unpopular region of the world, West Africa. Additionally, my work with Tostan will give me concrete experience in monitoring and evaluation, project planning, implementation and management. This sort of experience will be invaluable to USAID making me a great fit for a Project or Program Manager/Coordinator as well as an M&E Specialist in West Africa.

USAID is active in the majority of the countries in the West Africa region including Senegal, which would make me a prime candidate for several positions. USAID’s work and employees inherently have a role in US national security as it aims to end extreme poverty, a major contributor to instability around the world.

A Boren fellowship will prepare me with the necessary skills to be an effective employee of the US government and better able to serve my country and her interests both at home and abroad.