Reflection on Final Grant Proposal Presentation to '21 Global Scholars Cohort and Others

A little over a week ago, I had the amazing opportunity to reflect on my experience completing a grant proposal through the Global Scholars program. I invited various members of the Poly community, including my fellow Global Scholars in the class of 2020, the rising Global Scholars cohort, and folks from the Poly administration who supported me in my grant proposal work. I was ecstatic to have over forty people tune in to the video call, over which I made my presentation and hosted a brief question-and-answer session. As the last formal part of the grant proposal process, the event was a time for me to reflect on what I had achieved and to share with others what I had learned.


I began the presentation by explaining what led me to participate in the Global Scholars program and, specifically, the grant proposal project. I then walked the audience through the presentation that I gave to the grant proposal panelists, who were responsible for making the decision regarding who would and would not receive full funding for their projects. I then concluded with a contemplation of what the grant proposal project means for those who participate in it, what the Global Scholars’ responsibilities are in carrying it out, and how we should think about the institutional and academic implications of charity. I also hoped to share with all of the rising Global Scholars in the audience how to effectively and empathetically complete a grant proposal on behalf of a charity, hopefully leading to more successful projects in the future. I was grateful to receive several thoughtful questions after the presentation concluded, about ideas ranging from what I got from the grant proposal to what I envision myself doing in the future to simply my experience with Reading Partners, the organization with which I worked for this project. I want to thank everyone who attended virtually or who watched the recording, as well as the countless folks who helped me work through the grant proposal process in the first place.

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