The Foreign Service Journal, March 2012

48 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 1 2 ANNUAL REPORT American Foreign Service Association 2011 A F S A N E W S O n Aug. 9, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham ClintonpresentedAFSA’s 2011 National High School Essay Contest first-place award to Grant Jirka, a rising senior at Columbus High School in Columbus, Neb. He also received $2,500, a trip with his parents to Wash- ington, D.C. to meet Secretary Clinton and 10 copies of Inside a U.S. Embassy for his school’s library. Students were asked to analyze and explain how Foreign Service employees promote U.S. national interests by par- ticipating in the resolution of today’s major international issues. The 2011 contest generated more than 300 submissions from high school students na- tionwide. The goal of AFSA’s High School Essay Contest, now entering its 13th year, is to stimulate interest and un- derstanding of the United States For- eign Service. In 2011, the essay contest garnered generous financial support from Booz Allen Hamilton, and the Insti- tute for Shipboard Education offered an additional prize of an academic voyage on University of Virginia’s Se- mester at Sea, which will be awarded for the first time to the 2012 winner. To read 2011’s winning essay and contest rules, please go to www.afsa. org/essaycontest. This year’s contest deadline is April 15. (Children of Booz Allen Hamilton, Se- mester at Sea and Foreign Service employees are not eligi- ble to enter.) National High School Essay Contest: New Support B Y P ERRI G REEN , S PECIAL A WARDS AND O UTREACH C OORDINATOR T heAFSA Scholarship Programenjoyed another year of successful growth that included a num- ber of highlights. First, to better reflect its mis- sion, the AFSA Committee on Education was renamed the AFSA Scholarship Committee. This year, theAcademic andArt Merit Award prizemoney was increased by 8 percent, and a total of $44,000 was be- stowed inMerit Awards to 28 Foreign Service high school sen- iors. The Foreign Service Youth Foundation sponsored a one-time-only Academic Merit Award. Need-based, financial aid scholarships were bestowed on 68 undergraduate children of Foreign Service employees, to- taling $179,400 in the 2011-2012 school year. Working with the College Board and overseas Foreign Service families,AFSA also provided guidance on how to best complete the PROFILE, the financial aid instrument some- times used to ascertain a family’s financial situation in paying for college, to ensure that FS families are treated fairly. This year, Mr. Norton Bell, Mrs. Tapley Bennett, Mr. Stephen Hubler, Mr. Eric D.K. Melby and Ambassador Rozanne Ridgeway all made additional contributions to scholarships established in their names or in the name of a loved one. Finally, the committee welcomed several new members and bid farewell to others. State Department AFSA Repre- sentative Jenae Johnson, FAS AFSA Representative Mark Petry andAmericanAssociates of the Foreign ServiceWorld- wide Representative Anne Cekuta joined the AFSA Scholar- ship Committee in 2011, while Yvette Malcioln, USAID AFSA Representative, rejoined. Carol Sutherland retired and resigned her position as State Department AFSA Represen- tative. AFSA Scholarship Program: Successful Growth B Y L ORI D EC , S CHOLARSHIP D IRECTOR Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clin- ton congratulates AFSA’s National High School Essay Contest winner, Grant Jirka. STATE DEPARTMENT