Friends of Slovakia was able to sponsor five very deserving Slovak Scholars to attend one of the Fund for American Studies (TFAS) summer institutes in Washington, DC at George Mason University. To honor these students and introduce them to FOS members and the embassy staff, Amb. Peter Kmec and FOS co-hosted a luncheon at the Slovak Embassy on July 23.
The Fund for American Studies is a 46-year-old organization started by Charles Edison, former governor of New Jersey and the son of the inventor, Thomas Edison. The Fund’s summer institutes are among the most prominent summer institutes offered in the nation’s capital and attract students from throughout the United States, including the Ivy League universities and military academies, in addition to foreign students. The students are instructed by outstanding professors, gain valuable work experience in Washington, DC, and learn from one another about campus life in the US and foreign countries.
Michal Magusin is a student at Comenius University in Bratislava who attended the Institute on Political Journalism. He was an intern at Industry Dive, a private company providing information for its clients, where he wrote features, did research, and said he learned a lot.
Denisa Pacholska attends the University of St Andrews and while in Washington, she studied at the Engalitcheff Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems. Her internship was with the National Taxpayers Union Foundation where she learned about the government’s taxing authority and how citizens organize to keep tabs on the government’s taxing policies.
Andrea Tittelová attends Comenius University in Bratislava and participated in the Institute on Business and Government Affairs. She interned with United States Steel Corporation, a company that owns the largest steel plant in Slovakia.
Gabriela Virostkova is a student at the University of Economics in Bratislava and attended the Institute on Economics and International Affairs. Her internship was with a non-profit organization, Character Education Partnership that fosters effective character education in US schools.
Matej Uhlik is also at Comenius University in Bratislava and attended the Engalitcheff Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems. His internship was with Iona, a non-governmental organization that supports seniors. Matej worked as a new media communications intern responsible for developing new ways of utilizing online-based technologies and services to expand Iona’s objectives.
FOS would like to thank the Slovak-American Foundation, Richard Marko, and Ambassador Theodore ‘Tod’ Sedgwick, the US Ambassador to Slovakia, for their generous contributions to the FOS Scholarship Fund. The June 2013 Slovak-American Awards Dinner raised additional funds for this important initiative. FOS members are urged to consider sponsoring a partial scholarship of $5,500 for 2014 Slovak Scholars or donating funds to help continue this highly successful program. This is the ninth year that FOS has been able to bring outstanding Slovak scholars to Washington, DC. FOS has maintained contact with the Slovak graduates of this program and they have gone on to pursue productive and successful careers.