Editor's Note: Sean Minton, Rotary Foundation Global Grant Scholarship recipient for 2019-2020, visited RC North Columbus where Robbie Green is a member, and RC Dunwoody last month to express appreciation to these clubs for supported him during his scholarship year. In preparation for his visit Sean sent the following update we hope you will enjoy. We also hope it inspires you to look for college seniors who will graduate next spring and wish to pursue graduate studies in one of Rotary's seven areas of focus. Applications for Fall 2024 are due October 16, 2023. Check the link at the bottom of Sean's story to see more details. 

I just completed two years as a brigade public affairs officer for the “Spartan Brigade,” 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division (think Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles). I was out at the forefront of messaging my brigade, or unit, as the most modernized as we received the upgraded combat platforms.

Right now, Amy and I are currently undergoing a permanent change of station from Fort Stewart, Georgia, to Alexandria, Virginia, to attend the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies. I was selected by the Army Public Affairs Center last year to obtain a Master of Professional Studies in Public Relations and Corporate Communications. As a result of the program, I will most likely have a follow-on assignment in the Pentagon in either the Army or the Department of Defense Public Affairs office where I would generate communication planning and advise senior military leaders and policy makers.

I am thankful for this opportunity to get another master’s degree. I was encouraged by more senior public affairs officers to apply to the fellowship, but I was skeptical I would be eligible due to my time in London conducting a Rotary Global Grant Scholarship. As it turned out, my time in London with Rotary was seen as a positive and not a negative, and I was awarded one of the six slots to Georgetown for calendar year 2023. My Georgetown classes start May 22 for the summer term.

We are new homeowners in Alexandria, but we are in the midst of some needed renovations to make it a modern home. Amy and our 21-month-old son, John David, are the ultimate troopers as we uproot our lives and move three states away. However, this assignment promises more family time as I study the academic side of public relations. Also, with a second child due this August, a predictable schedule could not come at a better time.

My time in London attending King’s College London, tying in with the Rotary Club of London, and starting up the Rotaract of Club of London affects my perspective on the world every day. My time abroad gave me a deeper understanding and more diverse perspective on global issues of peace and conflict prevention/resolution, listening to others from around the world and hearing their views. Today, more than ever, we have to listen to know how to address the problems of our time. This was by far the greatest lesson that the Rotary Global Grant Scholarship gave me, and I am blessed to have been given the opportunity.

For more information on the Rotary Foundation Global Grant Scholarship opportunity for studies in the Fall of 2024 (applications due October 16, 2023 by noon), click here.