AFIO San Francisco Bay Area Scholarship Winners
Every year, the San Francisco Bay Area chapter gives scholarships to deserving students who are interested in a career in intelligence.
The chapter scholarship committee selected three students to receive a scholarship of $1,500 each this year. All three students had a grade point average of 3.58 or better. Two of the students attended our lunch meeting on March 24 to meet our members and guests and receive their awards. The third winner will receive her award at a future meeting. One of the scholarships was presented on behalf of Chevron Corporation which graciously sponsored the award. The student was a senior at the University of San Francisco and will graduate with a commission in the Army. After basic training, he will be assigned to military intelligence.
The second winner was a senior at U.C. Berkeley and majored in Middle Eastern Studies. She spent one semester in Moscow in a Russian language program and one semester studying Farsi in Istanbul, Turkey. She has Russian language proficiency and intermediate abilities in Farsi. Her senior thesis was on the Afghan-Soviet War from the Mujahedeen Perspective. Upon graduation, she took a two months course in Russian and Farsi in Tajikistan. Her objective is to obtain a graduate degree in security studies and go into human intelligence work.
The third scholarship winner was a junior at Stanford University and is majoring in International Relations and minoring in Mandarin Chinese. She spent one semester teaching English in China, studied for one semester at Oxford, has worked for the U.S. Department of State on the China Desk during summers and has a current Top Secret clearance. Upon graduation, she hopes to work for one of the intelligence services.
These young people are the future of our intelligence services. With the turmoil in the Middle East, there has never been more need for a competent intelligence community.
Funds for these scholarships come from chapter dues, member donations and raffles at lunch meetings. Without the support of members, we would not be able to offer these scholarships. Annual membership is only $25 and members pay just $25 for the lunch meetings of which we have five to six a year. Individuals who are not members pay $35 for lunch meetings. Please help support our chapter and the scholarship program by becoming a member.
Note to Students
If you are a student interested in applying for an AFIO scholarship, please contact Pierre Fournier, Scholarship Committee Chair at pdfournier@comcast.net.
Requirements include the following:
* You must be a U.S. citizen.
* You must have an interest in a career in intelligence.
* Submit the completed application form.
* A two-page essay on extracurricular activities, hobbies and interests in intelligence.
* Transcript showing grades for the last two years, along with any recommendations.
Submissions are reviewed by the Scholarship Committee and 4-6 applicants are selected to be interviewed in-person. The winners are notified by letter and invited to our meeting in May to receive their scholarship awards.
The Committee distributes scholarship announcements and applications through established university contacts. Committee members are available to make presentations about careers in intelligence and AFIO scholarships at your school.
Historical note: In 2012, we had an additional scholarship of $500 in honor of Colonel Richard F. Hum. His detailed biography is available at:
http://www.asianweek.com/2009/07/14/chinese-american-hero-richard-f-hum/
For additional scholarship opportunities through AFIO National, please go to:
AFIO SF Bay Area Chapter 