Applications for the 2018 MEPI Student Leaders Program are now OPEN!
The U.S. Embassy in Morocco is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2018 Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Program that will be held at a university in the United States June 25 – August 4, 2018.
PROGRAM DETAILS:
MEPI Student Leaders is an intensive 5-week exchange program to the United States for approximately 60 undergraduate and graduate students from the Middle East and North Africa. Students are divided among up to 4 U.S. academic institutions where they develop leadership skills and expand their understanding of civil society, as well as the democratic process and how both may be applied in their home communities. Participants have the opportunity to meet their American peers, engage in local community service activities, and observe the governmental process on the local, state, and federal levels. The institutes include academic coursework, as well as study tours to various regions of the United States. Upon completion of the U.S.-based program, host institutes work with participants to implement civic engagement programs in their home communities.
The U.S. Embassy provides international and domestic travel, health insurance, housing and a moderate living stipend.
This program is very competitive. Following assessment of applications, pre-selected candidates will be invited for an interview with a jury at the U.S. Embassy in Rabat. Final selection will be announced by March 2018.
WHO CAN APPLY?
The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders program seeks undergraduate students in any field of academic specialization who fulfill the conditions below:
- Are Moroccan citizens, living in Morocco, 20 to 24 years of age as of the program start date of June 25, 2018 and end date of August 4, 2018 (birthdates falling between August 4, 1994 and June 25, 1998);
- Demonstrate the strong English language skills needed to participate in a U.S. academic program;
- Are committed to returning to Morocco following completion of the program;
- Have a sustained high level of academic achievement, demonstrate strong leadership potential and a commitment to civic engagement;
- Indicate a serious interest in learning about the United States;
- Do not hold U.S. citizenship or plan to immigrate to the U.S.;
- Are enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program or recently graduated from an undergraduate program within the last 6 months or less from the program start date of June 25, 2018. Student who plan to study in the U.S. in the 2018/2019 academic semester are not eligible;
- Have no prior travel experience in the U.S. or Canada and limited to no study or travel experience outside Morocco;
- Are willing and able to participate fully in intensive academic, community service, and educational travel activities;
- Are comfortable with campus life, sharing same-sex living accommodations while traveling with a multinational group of participants from the Middle East and North Africa region and with U.S. citizens, and making adjustments to cultural and social practices different from those of Morocco.
HOW TO APPLY?
Candidates must submit their online application at https://studentleaders.fluidreview.com/
The application deadline in Morocco is December 1, 2017. No late or incomplete applications will be accepted.
The online application must be completed in English and include the following information in order to be considered complete:
- Information on their university, field of study, transcripts, letter of recommendation, and basic contact information;
- A scanned copy of the photo page of candidate’s passport;
- Candidate’s response, in 500 words or less per response, to two out of the three questions below:
- The Student Leaders program offers outstanding students leadership training to expand their understanding of and potential contribution to civic and economic engagements. How are you a leader? True leaders constantly evolve. Provide us with 1-3 concrete examples of how you built and strengthened your advocacy capacity and skills in dealing with a challenge. Did you use your leadership skills to cope with a problem, enact change, or help and inspire others? What did you learn from this experience? How has your leadership style improved as a result? What was the impact of this change on you and the people around you?
- Tell us about a public figure whose moral convictions you most aspire to emulate. Which key characteristics of that person do you see within yourself, and in which ways are you dissimilar? Discuss how these characteristics sometimes prove to be negative. Be creative: this person can be from any era. We strongly encourage that you select someone the selection committee would recognize by avoiding relatives or teachers.
- Imagine that you win a $50,000 grant to engage in an activity within your reach. The project must be concrete and be done within one year and benefit your community (cannot include bringing peace to your country or solving world hunger). The endeavor you choose should promote self-growth as a leader and significantly impact your community. Please provide details of how you would spend your year, why are you motivated to do this, and what are the benefits that this endeavor would bring to yourself and to your community.
If you have additional questions, please e-mail the U.S. Embassy using the following address rabatexchanges@state.gov
For questions, please check the FAQs at https://mepi.state.gov/education/faqs/
