Complete Your Service Journey with a Full Circle Scholarship
Published MAY 25, 2017
by AmeriCorps Alums
Northeastern University and AmeriCorps share a belief that experience is the best teacher. Both organizations agree that unique experiences, skillsets and passions are valuable in work and education.
Millicent Sykes shares her experience transitioning from the Americorps program. City Year is a clear example of building on volunteer service to launch a successful and meaningful career.
“Upon graduating from undergraduate school, at the University of Washington, I intended to pursue higher education after giving back to the city of Seattle,” said Sykes. “While serving as an AmeriCorps member, I was finalizing my plan of action. Northeastern University seemed like the proper fit! The school is prestigious, offers a program I was interested in pursuing, and provided a scholarship for AmeriCorps members. What a perfect time to become a student, again! I applied for the Master of Education degree program and the rest is history. ”
Sykes enrolled at Northeastern’s Seattle campus where the Full Circle Scholarship was started. The scholarship offers a 25-percent tuition discount to graduate applicants who embody Northeastern University’s values of experiential and global learning.
By providing AmeriCorps alumni with an opportunity to gain a graduate degree through the Full Circle Scholarship, Northeastern University is helping alums complete what is often the most difficult part of the journey: preparing for and finding a meaningful career.
NU is looking for students who want more than a traditional education experience and want to gain real-world skills and experience while attending classes. The ideal NU student has shown a passion for learning differently and have taken a service-driven path. Northeastern University is creating new ways to help people learn and grow, and a service-driven approach to academics is encouraged.
Northeastern’s unique experiential learning model gives students the chance to combine academics with co-ops, experiential networks or experiential learning at work. Students in co-op work at a paid position in their field of study for three to six months, while students in experiential networks work virtually with an organization on a short-term project over a six-week period. Experiential learning at work provides students who already have a job with the opportunity to collaborate with their current employer to develop a customized project that addresses a key business need their company has in an area in which the student wants to gain more experience.
Northeastern’s industry-aligned graduate degree programs will help AmeriCorps alums translate the skills and knowledge acquired into a career that matters.
“My experience with NEU has been positive, informative, and beneficial,” says Sykes. “I have interacted and conversed with people in various education positions, geographical locations, and with varying views of the world. These people have contributed to my idea of education as well as helped stir me toward the next step in my journey. (Wait for it… more higher education!) Overall, I have extrapolated significant information regarding how the United States public education was in the past, is currently, and will be in the near future. I highly suggest AmeriCorps members seriously consider learning more about the Master and Doctorate degrees offered at NU Seattle. The experience is transformative and impactful!”
Find out more about the Full Circle Scholarship.