The first weekend of March presented two HUF students with the opportunity to meet and interact with other Flagship students from all across the country. Second Year student Dhara Lad and First Year student Lawrence Walker were joined by HUF alumna Sonali Brahmbhatt to represent HUF in the Language Flagship National Student Meeting, co-hosted by the University of Maryland and the Institute of International Education. This event brings together student representatives from the 26 Language Flagship Programs from across the nation, as well as representatives from the National Security Education Program and federal hiring representatives.
In Dhara’s words,
“A wise individual once told me, good food at a conference means a great conference – and that it was! However, beyond the food was a very well developed and informative meeting, providing a great avenue for understanding the goals of the Language Flagship and opportunities that await post language certification. I had the great opportunity of interacting with other flagship students from various languages and universities (and even a HUF alumni!) – understanding how their program functions and the similar trials they have endured on their path to language proficiency. The most meaningful component was further interacting with federal hiring managers, understanding the skills sought by agencies such as NSA, Department of State, FEMA etc. – skills necessary for future career attainment.
The snow may have trapped us indoors, but the skills attained were innumerable.”