Invaluable lessons learnt on US scholarship

Books offer a wealth of knowledge. When books are used by teachers during lectures and tutorials to explain the subject, the benefits to a student are even greater.

Now place a 17-year-old student amid students from all parts of the world in one of the best US colleges for three weeks to experience the rudiments of their favourite subject - politics - from lectures by some of the most applauded experts in the field of politics. The benefits are tripled.

This three-week scholarship, which included field trips to the White House, the Department of State and Voice of America Headquarters in Washington, the Constitution Centre in Philadelphia, the colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, and other US states, was awarded to Jennifer Pullicino Orlando, of Zebbug, who attends De La Salle sixth form, against competition from many students. She has just returned from the US.

The wealth of knowledge Ms Pullicino Orlando got hold of from the Benjamin Franklin Summer Institute for Youth is unmatched. Not only did she join around 40 youths from Europe, Eurasia and the United States to be tutored by some of the most prominent academics at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, but she experienced this at the tender age of 17.

Part of the training, a Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows initiative, named after the legendary American statesman and diplomat, included visits to other states such as Washington, Virginia and Pennsylvania, which increased the students' knowledge of American history, culture and society. The training required them to focus on politics, including transatlantic relations, civic education, leadership development and community activism. In fact, the students also took part in community service, where Ms Pullicino Orlando assigned a school for children with disabilities. At the end of the course, the students had to work together on a project.

Ms Pullicino Orlando is already reaping the benefits. Politics is a subject she always had an inclination for. After the scholarship, she has returned armed with a stronger conviction of what choices she intends to make. She has learnt what diversity and tolerance imply, and how students from other parts of the world think and act. She knows that youths her age hold the key to a better future. But she has learnt other important lessons.

The main task was to take part in a joint project on current Turkish issues in which the students chose a topic to research, from culture, economy, and political science, to the Armenian genocide and Turkish immigration in Europe.

The group simulated the roles of the principal and deans of a fictitious university, who had to reach a decision about whether the "applicant" was eligible to become a student at the university. The participant from Bosnia and Herzegovina simulated the role of principal, while the participant from Azerbaijan played the role of Dean of Immigration, the participant from Turkmenistan took on the role of Dean of the Economy, the Greek participant simulated the role of Dean of Culture, the French participant the role of Dean of Security while Ms Pullicino Orlando's role was that of Dean of Political Science.

"Our project involved a lot of research, primarily on the Internet. In fact, Wake Forest University provided us with an individual laptop throughout the three-week programme. I spent hours reading and saving website links, which I then used to defend the college's stance representing the EU."

I asked if the student was finally admitted. Based on the "political" role she was assigned, the reply is a firm "no".

"A country with a population of 75 million which is afforded entry into the EU will inevitably have equal or predominant representation and overpower countries like Germany which have long been considered economic and political powerhouses. Turkish culture and politics are fundamentally different to that of European countries and could therefore jeopardise diplomatic relations between Turkey and the European countries, causing potential feuds within the European Union," the 17-year-old said.

One of her well-learnt lessons is to differentiate between a person's opinions and personal relations.

"We were continuously in heated debates about which political system works best or which country's economy flourishes better. Nonetheless, we learnt that no matter how much we disagreed, we had to find common ground on our differences and use diplomacy as a guide in order to conserve our personal relationships despite our opinions."

The students are now waiting for the experts' commentary on the podcasts which were recorded while still at Wake Forest University. Meanwhile, they have created a website for blogging, a modern way of posting and replying to comments online.

Ms Pullicino Orlando is now one of the first members of the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Alumni Association There is already talk of a reunion of this year's students next summer and she hopes that all her friends will join her in Malta to relive their wonderful experience, while enjoying the cultural and tourist attractions on the island.

Ms Pullicino Orlando's participation in this programme, organised by the US Department of State and Wake Forest University, was made possible by the generous sponsorship of the US Embassy in Malta.

Jeffrey Anderson, Attaché for Press and Cultural Affairs, hopes that this programme will become an annual event and that one or more students from Malta will participate in future Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Initiative Summer Institute programmes for youths.