Every year the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the United States (AFC-USA) awards scholarships to foreign journalists studying to get their master’s in America. A fantastic opportunity, the scholarship helps financially assist the awardees, provide additional assistance to help them advance in their careers and build a community with other journalists in similar situations.

Scholarship winners from AFC-USA | ForeignPressCorrespondents.org

However, like any application, the AFC-USA scholarship process can be nerve-wracking and overwhelming. To help combat this stress, the 2020 scholarship awardees took the time to explain how the scholarship has been helpful to them and give their advice to future applicants and awardees.

Oluwafisayo Okare, from Nigeria, wanted a community to be apart of when she moved to the United States of America. Okare admires the values and mission of the AFC. She applied for the scholarship hoping for involvement in the organization and support during her studies. Okare is currently a student at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Okare has gained a lot from her scholarship. She watches the AFC’s Youtubes videos of interviews with other journalists. She’s registered to attend Zoom masterclasses offered by the AFC. The ones she can’t participate in because of school, she watches recordings of afterward.

For anyone contemplating whether or not to apply for the scholarship, Okare suggests “just do it,” to highlight your main interest and what you’re passionate about in your application.

“For future AFC awardees,” Okare said, “it’s important to take advantage of this opportunity. And it’s important to ask for help when you need it because people are willing to help, but you have to come to them.”

Mariel Lozada, from Venezuela, believes the mission of the AFC-USA is vital. In a country with a large immigrant population, Lozada sometimes feels stereotyped for being Latin American. The AFC community has made her feel welcomed and accepted.

Lozada is getting her master’s in social journalism from the City University of New York. She has gained a lot from the AFC scholarship; the most significant help has been the opportunity to focus on her studies and not have to worry about rent. She has also enjoyed getting to know the other scholarship awardees, who she considers great journalists.

Lozada suggests applicants of the AFC scholarship should be true to themselves and explain why their pursuing journalism in a way that is easy to understand. To the future scholarship awardees, “I will say try to do the best you can every day and take advantage of every opportunity you have.”

Obey Martin Manayiti, from Zimbabwe, needed help financing his tuition. Coming from a third-world country, Manayiti couldn’t afford Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism’s high tuition fees -- he is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Business and Economics journalism. Financing is one of the reasons why he applied for the scholarship.

But, Manayiti has gained much more from the AFC than just help with paying his tuition. “This (AFC-USA) is a very rich group,” he said, “ in terms of wisdom, in terms of knowledge, in terms of experience.”

“So being apart of this group,” Manayiti continues, “gives me the platform to learn from others outside the classroom and outside the newsroom. It gives me the platform to learn on a peer to peer basis.”

Manayiti’s bits of advice to future AFC scholarship awardees is to take the journey seriously and capitalize on every opportunity you receive. “They are a very experienced group,” Manayiti said. “They’ve walked this journey before” and have a lot of wisdom to share with students.

Victor Raison is from France but has lived most of his life in foreign countries. His upbringing is part of the reason why he decided to become a foreign correspondent. He enjoys seeing new places and learning about new cultures.

The AFC scholarship has brought him the opportunity to listen and learn from well-established professionals. “To be able to see some really star journalist talk to us,” Raison said, “it’s inspiring.” Raison is also hoping to develop a more extensive journalistic network by attending more conferences and masterclasses held by the AFC.

For future scholarship applicants, Raison suggests starting the process way in advance and getting opinions on your application, cover letter and resume from as many of your peers as possible. He advises future awardees to create friendships through the connections the AFC will provide you because they might help you in the future create compelling stories.

Sarah Peter, from Saint Lucia, is currently getting her master’s in political science from the University of Albany. Peter’s tuition is costly and the AFC-USA scholarship has been beneficial financially.

Additionally, through the AFC Peter’s had the opportunity to pose questions to ask CNN journalist Jim Acosta. She has found a community within the AFC-USA family, is proud to be apart of the organization and include it on her resume.

Peter advises journalists applying for the AFC scholarship to be themselves and speak of “matters of the heart.” There may be candidates applying who are more qualified than you, “but,” Peter said, “I think when you speak of something that is emotionally touching, it always helps draw people in.”

In Jeong Kim, from South Korea, has been a professional reporter for over ten years. She’s studying in the documentary track at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and it’s her first time studying abroad. Coming to America meant she had to give up her income and take on the extra tuition cost. Additionally, because of her age and employment status, Kim couldn’t receive financial support from her home country.

“The AFC scholarship enabled me to pursue my dream of studying at UC Berkeley, but it has also allowed me to flourish as a student here by removing the financial burden of tuition,” Kim said.

Kim believes anyone thinking of applying to the AFC scholarship should not hesitate and take their chances on this fantastic opportunity.

“In addition to a full masterclass membership, you will be given access to exclusive sessions with professional journalists from America’s leading news outlets like CNN,” Kim said. “Your network will expand to include expert career consultants who are dedicated to helping you succeed as a journalist.”

Oheneba Ama Nti Osei, from Ghana, was inspired to apply for the AFC scholarship by the critical work the association is doing representing foreign journalists in the USA.

“I attended the AFC scholarship ceremony in 2020 and was particularly excited to learn about the support and dedication the leadership had for foreign journalists and the value they placed on their educational development,” Nti said.

Nti Osei is a Knight Bagehot Fellow in Business and Economics Journalism and is currently pursuing an MBA at Columbia Business School. She has lived in France and Taiwan and is “captivated by reporting across cultures.”

Nti Osei advises applicants of the AFC scholarship to be bold and share their unique stories. “It is also important to write a great essay and not shy away from singing your own praises. Be proud of your achievements and don't be afraid to share them,” she said.

“it's an honor to represent this esteemed organization and I encourage you (scholarship awardees) to use any platform you have to showcase and support the AFC's mission at all times.”