HIF Graduate Scholar Boglárka Bozsogi has recently completed her Spring semester 2018 at Georgetown University, where she is enrolled in the program of Master of Science in Foreign Service focusing on Middle East security and mediation. She received HIF’s graduate scholarship for the most recent semester to support her studies.
Thanks to HIF’s scholarship, Boglárka was able to intern in Washington DC during the summer, where she participated in a social protection report project at the World Bank, helping disseminate the findings of the report in order to reach wider audiences.
“The skills and ideas that I developed at the World Bank will be professionally beneficial in the future. I was able to stay in DC and explore opportunities because of the HIF scholarship. Without that, I would not have been able to complete the required internship placement for my program.”
Boglárka has recently started working for the United States Institute of Peace as a Research Assistant at the RESOLVE Network, an initiative that aims to understand and counter violent extremism in conflict-affected areas. RESOLVE is a global consortium of researchers and practitioners committed to locally-based research on violent extremism and community resilience to guide policy makers with empirically grounded research and information.
“I am happy for this opportunity to learn more about conflict, political violence, and peacebuilding operations. I hope to learn about project planning and management, organizational development, strategic planning, and organizational fundraising. With this experience, I plan to join a European NGO or international organization, focusing on international security and foreign policy advising.”
Beyond having financial support by the scholarship, Boglárka is grateful for being able to participate in the Young Hungarian Leaders Program in the spring. The 2018 Young Hungarian Leaders Program encouraged her to take something home from the values of American civil society organizations and their plurality. It also helped her foster closer ties with Professor Walter Russell Mead and the Hudson Institute, who were very helpful in strategic planning for her future outside of the US. She was inspired by the Program to plan an online platform back in Hungary that will provide readers with understandable, accessible, and fact-based information and news coverage on domestic and foreign policy issues.
“I believe it is valuable to foment international understanding through the exchange of credible, unbiased information as a special project. It will be a challenge to set up an independent organization that works internationally. I learned this semester that change is possible if we believe in it; we have to take the lead and make it happen.”
Boglárka believes that all young professionals appreciate this kind of exposure that brings networking and professional opportunities.
“HIF enriched my life in the US – I made friendships, committed to new personal and professional goals and principles, while it also opened doors for future opportunities once returning to Hungary from my Fulbright experience”
