HOLLY GERRITY TO REPRESENT CSUSM IN DUBAI

BY AMY SALISBURY

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

photos courtesy of Holly Gerrity and aud.edu

College scholarships remain the elusive goal for many young people as they plan their university studies. Academic and athletic scholarships make up the majority of types of awards available for gifted students. The daunting task of searching for college funding is tedious, and many students abandon the investigation when a scholarship appears too exclusive or intimidating.

However, a bit of digging will produce mountains of gold, as CSUSM senior Holly Gerrity discovered. Gerrity received the William Jefferson Clinton Scholarship, and was one of only 10 students nationwide to collect the award. According to the scholarship’s website, Gerrity will attend the American University in Dubai and “further the goals of the Clinton Presidential Foundation to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence.”

Amy Salisbury: You received this award pretty recently. Has the excitement worn off, or are you now focused on looking forward to arriving in Dubai?

Holly Gerrity: Surprisingly, the excitement still hasn’t hit me because this opportunity is very surreal – I’ve never been out of the United States so I’m still trying to wrap my head around this adventure. I’m sure reality will hit when I step foot on the airplane.

A.S.: I’m sure it will! The scholarship is very prestigious and select. What parts of your experience at CSUSM contributed to your selection as a recipient?

H.G.: My faculty mentor, Dr. Elizabeth Matthews, has always supported all of my endeavors, so I definitely attribute my success to her support. Dr. Matthews goes above and beyond her duties by reading my statements of purpose, scholarship essays, and writing samples. Without Dr. Matthews’s assistance, it’s quite possible that I would not have been selected for this scholarship. Moreover, the CSUSM Political Science Department has an amazing group of faculty that have all contributed to my love for political science. These professors have challenged me to think both critically and creatively, and this has enabled me to flourish in my field of study.

A.S.: You’ve been involved in CSUSM’s Political Science Club and participated in a Model United Nations Conference. How have these experiences prepared you for political study in Dubai?

H.G.: Both Model United Nations and the Political Science Club have provided me with opportunities to gain background knowledge on the Middle East through club events. But what has best prepared me for studying in Dubai are the numerous CSUSM political science courses I have taken regarding Iraqi politics, terrorism, and the Middle East Peace Process.

A.S.: How do you think exposure to politics in an American classroom will differ from hands-on foreign policy study in the Middle East?

H.G.: Compared to American classes, I believe that my classes in the Dubai will more often reference religious beliefs as an influential factor in politics. Also, I have not had the opportunity to learn about the Gulf States in the Middle East (countries next to the Persian Gulf) so I believe that my courses in Dubai will give me insight into the politics of these countries. In America, it seems we only learn about countries that we have interests with (e.g., Israel, Iraq, Iran), so it will be interesting to learn about other Middle Eastern countries that are often overlooked like Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, etc.

A.S.: What sparked your interest in applying for the scholarship?

H.G.: I stumbled upon this scholarship when I was looking for fellowships to pay for graduate school. Many universities host large databases of external scholarships and I used these databases to find an array of scholarships/ fellowships. The Clinton Scholarship caught my eye because the program takes place in Dubai; one of my professors always show us pictures of Dubai so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some first-hand experience in the region that I study.

A.S.: What are you looking forward to most during your semester in Dubai?

H.G.: The American University in Dubai (AUD) has quite a diverse student body, so I’m looking forward to meeting students from other countries. I’m sure it will be an eye-opening experience to hear what other international students think of United States foreign policy. Also, I’m definitely looking forward to meeting President Clinton! I’m planning on having President Clinton sign an op-ed that he penned this November on the Middle East Peace Process.

A.S.: Do your career goals involve politics?

H.G.: My career goal is to become a professor, but I definitely would not dismiss a great career opportunity from the Department of Defense or the State Department. Within academia there exists a debate regarding the gap between theoretical work produced by academics and policy work produced by the government, so I hope I can bridge that gap by producing academic literature that can be used in the political arena.

A.S.: What other parts of the globe do you believe your studies will take you to?

H.G.: My hope is that I can soon visit Israel – it would be invaluable to experience the wealth of history in that region of the world. Also, I find that people do not realize that Muslim countries do not exclusively reside in the Middle East, thus I would like to visit Muslim countries in other regions of the world like North Africa and South-East Asia.