A Special Kind of Fellowship

A fellowship is a type of scholarship granted, generally to a person working on a dissertation or thesis. Today, I would like to discuss with you a type of fellowship granted to exceptional students, giving them the exciting opportunity to work in the White House.

Being a fellow to the White House is not something just anyone can say that they've done. The experience itself is worth a thousand words. Fellows work hand in hand with multiple government leaders. They learn about the customs, cultures, religions, lands, and arts of other countries. They learn diplomacy and peacekeeping techniques from the leaders of the land. White House fellows also have opportunities for international travel, seeing implemented US policy here at home, and making long lasting friendships with their colleagues. Since 1965 there have been over 500 alumni from the fellowship that have moved on to become leaders in their country and their communities world wide, thereby fulfilling the mission of the fellowship: "To encourage active citizenship and service to the nation."

The work involved as a White House fellow is far from an easy task. Work assignments can be changeable and challenging, but rewarding also. A White House fellow begins as a salaried, full-time assistant to the Senior White House Staff, Vice President, Cabinet Officers and other high ranking government officials. The typical duties a White House Fellow would perform lay in the areas of speech writing, review of litigation, answering Congressional inquires, attending chair meetings, and conducting briefings. Job assignments, however, can vary and come from a consultation between commission staff and agency officials based upon each fellow's interview during what is referred to as "placement week." A fellow's individual salary is determined by exactly where he works, but it is based on the government pay grade GS-14, step three (approximately $70,500.00 annually).

In addition to work, fellows are also expected to receive an education during their stay at the White House. This education consists mainly of informal meals with such types as Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet Secretaries, senior White House Officials, members of Congress, military leaders, journalists, historians, business executives and foreign heads of state. Another aspect of the educational program that fellows partake of is the travel to major US cities, military installations, and foreign countries. This education allows these fellows to return to their jobs and their lives, once their fellowship is complete, with a broader spectrum and wider range of knowledge of the world around them.

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