Priest River graduate has diplomatic ambitions
PRIEST RIVER — Ana Reed has a big year ahead of her, but the opportunities it opens up could be even bigger.
Buoyed by an up-to-$20,000 David L. Boren Scholarship, the 2010 Priest River Lamanna High School graduate is heading for Beijing, China, this autumn to continue her studies in Mandarin Chinese. Her overseas experiences will open the door to future employment by the federal government as a diplomat.
“It’s a really exciting opportunity to be able to study for a longer period overseas,” Reed said.
The National Security Education Program is bankrolling the hefty scholarship in an effort to bolster the nation’s language specialists in key strategic regions. Having studied Chinese for two years at the University of Idaho, Reed was a promising candidate for the award. After completing an application and a few essays, she submitted herself as a candidate in competition with 1,014 others across the country.
“There was definitely a period of anticipation where we were waiting for a response,” Reed said.
When the answer came back positive, Reed had cause for some serious celebration. After all, scholarship officials selected a mere 161 winners, including only one other Idaho student. Reed will join 27 of those beneficiaries in studying Mandarin Chinese.
Of course, the best way to learn a language is to spend time among people that speak it. And for a diplomat-in-training, keen awareness of the culture behind the language is a must. That’s why Reed will spend a full school year in Beijing, learning the customs and spending quality time with some of the country’s residents. She already had one opportunity to visit China back in March, so she’s looking forward to following up with a more in-depth experience.
“That really excited me further to study in China,” she said. “There are a lot of differences over there, but ultimately, their hopes, wants and dreams are really quite similar to ours here in the U.S.”
Reed will depart for Beijing at the end of August. Between then and now, she has a lot of preparation ahead of her.
“I’m a little nervous, but I think most of that is the anticipation of the first week over there and getting settled in,” Reed said. “Other than that, I’m really excited.”
The coming year will be a landmark one in Reed’s ambition to become a foreign diplomat. That goal developed after she graduated high school and had a taste of the diverse learning experiences in a college environment. And the job will come even closer to a reality after she finishes school. As a David L. Boren Scholarship beneficiary, Reed is contractually obligated to complete one year of service for the federal government after graduation. That doesn’t strike her as a bad deal at all.
“I see it more as a service opportunity,” she said. “It will be a great chance to get my foot in the door.”
More than anything else, Reed is grateful to the educational institutions that made the coming year possible.
“I’m really thankful for this scholarship,” she said. “I’d definitely encourage other students to keep an eye out for these opportunities and apply for them.”