November 17,2008

Dear Mr. Larsen,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous contribution towards my education. Over the course of this academic school year, and with your support, I will be enrolled in classes with a stronger focus and determination to acquire the knowledge I can use for my future.

In late July of this year, I arrived home from Bulgaria after volunteering for the US Peace Corps. For two years, I taught English to secondary students in a quiet sleepy town on the Danube. The friendships I established, the young lives I felt I impacted and the progress 1 made in my community helped affirm my belief in the virtues of public service and piqued my interest in international policy. Indeed, my experience there clarified the direction I wanted to take and paved a path towards which my passion could be applied.

From 5,800 miles away and over the telephone, I learned of my acceptance into the Evans School from the receptionist at the school. I was elated to be joining such a prestigious and forward looking program and to be returning to the university where I finished my undergraduate years. A few short weeks later I was informed of the William Shelton Fellowship and was in utter disbelief. The weight on my shoulders from the burden that further debt from education would place on me was of deep concern. With the fellowship, that weight and pressure are substantially less this year and I am able to redirect my energy towards learning.

The first six weeks of school have gone remarkably well as the transition from being a teacher to being a student has been smooth. I am enrolled in my first public management course as well as a budgeting and an economics course. The faculty is exceptional and the classes are providing the tools for productive and thoughtful policy analysis.
I am committed to being a faithful steward of the fellowship. My efforts this year will represent the hard work and ambition I have to acquire the knowledge and skills to be a successful student and apply it in my future profession. Please accept my humble gratitude for your assistance. I hope to meet you soon so I can personally convey my thanks.

Respectfully yours,

Michael Bennion

November 17, 2008

Dear Mr. Larsen,

I am honored to be the recipient of the William Shelton Fellowship to attend the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. Because of your generosity, I am able to devote myself completely to my coursework at one of the best public policy programs in the nation without financial worry.

I chose to attend the Evans School for multiple reasons, including its world-class faculty, diverse and talented student body, and their commitment to sustainable policy development and public management. That said, my concerns about leaving my job for a full-time masters program required a substantial financial commitment for which I was unprepared. Receiving a fellowship to attend the Evans School quelled this apprehension, but more importantly impelled me to make the most significant academic and career decision of my life.

While at the Evans School, I plan on focusing my studies on economic and urban policy. Additionally, I intend to take multiple cost-benefit analysis courses to supplement these foci. Although I have yet to decide on a career after graduation, I plan to create and advocate sustainable policies that promote positive change in my community. The quantitative and analytical skills I will gain at the Evans School will surely lead me towards this goal.

Thus far, my experiences at the Evans School have been significantly valuable and rewarding. I have excelled in my coursework, met and befriended an array of fascinating and motivated people, and gained indispensable knowledge from my professors. Although early in my program, I know that I belong at the Evans School. Your faith in my success expressed through your fellowship has only increased this sense of belonging.

Again, thank you for your support and commitment to my future academic and professional success.

Sincerely,

Adam T. Buick
MPA Candidate 2010
The Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington

Wednesday, October 29, 2008