Jamie Hilao

In 1999, I took a Contiki tour to Europe, my first experience abroad as an adult. I was fascinated by the character and history in each city but since we visited about 13 countries in 3 weeks, it was quite the whirlwind vacation.

Since then, I’ve been back to Europe several times to visit Prague, Berlin, Barcelona, and Ibiza, creating my own itineraries and spending more time exploring each city.

And in June - 10 years after my initial European Encounter - I will be experiencing Europe in a much different context.

A few months ago, I was nominated to apply for the Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF). The application process and interview was pretty stressful but quite the journey… As I filled out my application and prepared for the interview, I thought about my professional and community accomplishments to date, what I want to do in the future, and how this fellowship could get me there. I also thought about what I could give back to the fellowship, specifically how I could use my expertise in technology to expand the fellowship’s online presence. The journey itself helped me strategize my goals in the short- and long-terms, and I was so grateful to be given the opportunity to apply, whether or not I made it into the program.

Last week, an official press release was distributed with the list of 53 MMF fellows selected for the 2009 program, and I still cannot believe my name is on that list. I will be preparing for my 1-month trip over the next few months, and I am so honored to represent America in this way, especially during such a historic time of transition for this country as we move in a new direction under a magnificent new leader.

To Dad, Lynn, Jay, Toni & Brien: Thanks for all your help and support during the journey. To Ivan & Cathy: Your recommendation letters made all the difference in the world. And to Michael, I am indebted to you for having enough faith in me to take this journey in the first place.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 8th, 2008 at 6:44 pm and is filed under Jamie, MMF. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.