Special programs -- Muskie Graduate Scholars

Muskie graduate scholars

An enthusiastic group of 12 Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Scholars from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan attended the ELI for four weeks in July and August for intensive language preparation before heading to graduate schools across the United States. Their busy schedule included listening/ speaking and reading/writing classes at the ELI in the mornings, and, in the afternoons, participating in two graduate level classes, a service learning excursion to the Food Bank of Delaware, and seven seminars related to U.S. culture, graduate school expectations, study skills, time management, conversation styles in meetings, and U.S. government given by their group coordinator Ken Cranker. Naturally, many also found time to visit the beaches of Delaware and the city of Philadelphia. The group’s enthusiasm was evident in all that they did, but especially in their active participation in classroom and seminar discussions, singing on the bus to the Food Bank, and full-contact basketball games. After graduating from the ELI, the group visited Washington D.C. to meet with other Muskie Scholars, before continuing on to their respective graduate schools.