Prestigious Fellowships Offer Life-Changing Opportunities for Seton Hall Students

Prestigious fellowships can change lives, and Matthew Escobar, Ph.D., associate professor of French and Spanish, wants more Seton Hall students to consider applying.

As the University’s Prestigious Fellowships director working with the Office of the Provost, Escobar helps students pursue some of the world's most competitive academic and professional awards. These external fellowships, including Fulbright, Pickering and Truman, fund graduate study, research or intensive language training.

Escobar, a recent Fulbright U.S. Scholar, argues that the act of applying, in itself, is of substantial value. “Whether you are selected or not, the process helps you refine and articulate your career goals, as well as solidify professional contacts,” he said.

He is looking for driven, academically oriented students (3.7 GPA or higher) ready to engage in what can be a long but rewarding application process.

Escobar advises students one-on-one throughout the process, helping them refine their ideas, edit application essays and connect with faculty mentors and past recipients.

Students at Seton Hall have received Fulbright awards, Rangel, Gilman, CLS and Boren scholarships, as well as other fellowships. They have reconnected with family heritage abroad or explored regions they had never studied. Others have used their awards as a springboard to top graduate programs.

Escobar encourages persistence. “Some of our strongest candidates who won multiple fellowships and awards refined their strategies and updated their résumés throughout two or more application cycles and finally became recipients of a given award,” he said.

Winning a fellowship, he added, can be transformational,

It opens new doors in terms of where you study, who you study with and who you learn from. The challenge itself pushes our scholars to find new avenues and makes them tremendously strong candidates either for a prestigious graduate program or a job because it shows that they have already successfully undergone a rigorous examination process. But beyond that, it also shows a resiliency and a capacity to see beyond the most common paths that indicates real leadership potential.

In addition to the excellent School of Diplomacy and International Relations and humanities scholars who have most frequently applied, Escobar would love to see more candidates from STEM, business and other fields, as there are many opportunities in every field of study.

Students from any major or college at Seton Hall are eligible to apply. Interested students or recent graduates should visit the Prestigious Fellowships website to learn more and contact Escobar. He says, “You cannot win if you are not in the race.”

Categories: Education