The Foreign Service Journal, October 2003

AFSA Commemorates Fifth Anniversary of East Africa Embassy Bombings O nAug. 7, AFSAput awreathat the StateDepartment’s commemora- tive plaque honoring colleagues and familymembers who died in the ter- rorist bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Aug. 7, 1998. AFSA also placed another wreath at the AFSA S ecretary of State Colin Powell gave awarmintroductionat the Aug. 15 youth awards ceremo- ny in the Department of State Treaty Room. ActingAFSAPresident Louise Cranepresentedawardstothetopthree winners of the AFSA National High School EssayContest. The essay con- testdrew550submissionsthisyear,and serves tostimulate interest amonghigh school students nationwide in the ForeignServiceandtheconductofU.S. diplomacy. TheTreatyRoomceremony, inaddition tohonoringAFSAawardwinners,also hon- oredwinnersof theKidVidAwards andthe ForeignServiceYouthFoundationAwards forCommunityService. Theceremonywas sponsoredbyAFSA; FSYF;Associatesof the American Foreign ServiceWorldwide; the American Foreign Service Association • October 2003 In Brief: NEWS BRIEFS .........................................2 A NEW AGENDA......................................5 FAMILY TIES..............................................6 MEDICAL BENEFITS................................7 Q&A: PERSONNEL ..................................9 Continued on page 7 AFSA NEWS AFSA’S NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST AFSA and FSYF Ceremony Honors Outstanding Youth BY SHAWN DORMAN Continued on page 8 Secretary of State Colin Powell with AFSA Essay Contest winners (from left) John Kalz, Margaret Jackson and Andrew Hoover. Marc Goldberg Ed Miltenberger In memory of the 1998 embassy bombings. AFSA SCHOLARSHIPS AFSA Awards Thousands of Dollars in Financial Aid A FSA awarded need-based under- graduate Financial AidScholarships for the 2003/2004 school year to 63 Foreign Service college students with aid totaling $127,250. These students are in addition to the 27 winners of the 2003 AcademicandArtMerit Scholarships (July- August AFSA News ). Awards range from $1,000 to $3,500. Tax-dependent childrenof ForeignService childrenare eligible toapply. Studentsmust attend a U.S. accredited school full-time, maintaina 2.0gradepoint average and fin- ish their degree in four years. Applications for the 2004/2005 school yearwill be avail- ableonNov. 1at www.afsa.org an daredue on Feb. 6, 2004. AFSAadds newperpetual scholarships each year created on behalf of individuals who leave bequests in their wills, want to honor a loved one, or whowant to give to AFSA while living. Establishing a perpet- Continued on page 8