Spring break!

So, for spring break this year , I went to a Pacific island. I watched sunsets over a pristine lagoon. I hung out and drank at tropical bars. I read on the beach. I went diving. What about you?

Apparently the Taiwan Scholarship is being fast forwarded this year. Last year Jane didn’t receive notice of acceptance until July. This year the Taiwan Embassy will be sending out notices in less than two weeks.

In total, the Taiwan Embassy received over 30 scholarship applications from students across the country. My school sent seven. Last week they short-listed their applicants to 10-15, whom they will interview tomorrow. Six of my students made the short list, including Henry.

I received notice of this on Wednesday. Of course we’re currently on spring break, meaning I don’t see my students every day. I had to notify them about their interviews, and get them prepared for it, and two of the six don’t have phones. Therefore, I resorted to island style communications. I simply walked up and down the street asking passersby if they knew my students until I found them. It took about an hour to find both of them.

We did practice interviews on Thursday night and Saturday night. The disparity between their interview abilities are pretty extreme. Last year the embassy did not interview applicants. I wonder if they noticed something last year that inspired them to conduct interviews this year. Anyways, probably two of my students did well in their first practice interview – meaning they were able to speak articulately and at length. The remainder didn’t fare so well, with two being unable to effectively express themselves in sentences over five words in length. Shyness is a pretty common characteristic amongst Marshallese, particularly children.

Nevertheless, by the end of their practice interviews on Saturday, all of them seemed to be more or less ready to tackle the real thing. One is still a bit more anxious than is healthy, but when push comes to shove she’ll pull through. I’m lending Henry a shirt, tie, shoes, and socks for his interview. It’s kind of funny because in college I was definitely the one always borrowing formal attire.

Yes, I’m nervous. An awful lot is riding on these interviews tomorrow. Their next best option isn’t even close to being as good. In fact, one of the six students actually graduated last year near the top of her class. She was accepted to Hawaii Community College but was unable to enroll because of about 7,000 different problems with her financial aid and not being able to communicate quickly with the financial aid office. As a result, she wasn’t able to receive an RMI scholarship, and sat around aimlessly for about 7 months. Unfortunately, this is often what happens to students who attempt to pursue the second best option. She’s resilient, though. She’s trying again to go to college off island. I don’t want to think about what will happen to her if this option doesn’t work out.

Overall, despite being nervous, I’m very happy with the way the scholarship applications have worked out. I feel like the six students who will interview tomorrow are six I can hang my hat on. They’re motivated and capable. I don’t have to worry about whether or not we might be sending someone who will give up or flunk out. Moreover, I feel that I’ve worked hard and exhausted my resources and means to help these six be in the position they are now. I’ve done what I can. No matter what happens, I won’t have to ask myself if I could have tried harder.

Interviews are in 16 hours. Wish them luck.