St. Thomas senior Valerie Brukhis has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship, a prestigious award that aims to help people further their educational goals through international relations.

The scholarship will allow Brukhis to fly out to the University of Tel Aviv in Israel in October to receive an accelerated international master’s degree in security and diplomacy.

“To have a funded master’s at the end of all (my) work– that means the world to me. It’s surreal to have that opportunity. I never anticipated that I would,” Brukhis said.

The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs funds the program, which can help fund research for professors and students or higher education such as graduate school, as well as sending new graduates overseas to teach English.

As an international studies and political science double major, Brukhis has spent every summer since her first year at college working for the U.S. government in various internships.

After her sophomore year, Burkhis interned at the United Nations Children’s Emergencies Fund in Ukraine, helping children in the east of Ukraine who were affected by the country’s war with Russia.

Brukhis helped conduct vaccination campaigns and provided education for the children.

“Anything involving the safety and well-being of the kids — that’s what we were working on,” Brukhis said.

Brukhis hopes to continue her diplomatic work by one day working for the U.N. or with the United States Intelligence Community and thinks her intended master’s degree will help her get there.

“Israeli intelligence is kind of a case study often to the U.S. government, so that would be a smooth transition in and of itself,” Brukhis said.

History professor Michael Blaakman, who helped advise Brukhis in her application process, agrees that this program will benefit her career.

“To have her (higher education) be about trying to foster international understanding, build international connections — that’s going to be the perfect next step on her resume and her path to a career,” Blaakman said.

According to Blaakman, the application process is rigorous. Only five to 15 people apply each year from St. Thomas.

The Fulbright Program offers roughly 1,900 grants to students annually, according to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

“The application has a couple essays,” Blaakman said. “They’re supposed to be the best writing you’ve ever produced in your entire life, kind of boiled down into four pages.”

The Fulbright Scholar application also requires applicants to research where they want to continue their work or education and explain why they chose that international location.

“In a lot of different realms, like personally, professionally, religiously and every way possible, I find Israel to be this place I’ve been drawn to in a lot of ways,” Brukhis said.

As for the numerous internships and research opportunities Brukhis has done in addition to receiving this scholarship, she said she owes much of her accomplishments to the sacrifices her parents have made for her.

“My parents have worked really hard to provide me with these opportunities, even to get to go to school here and to do the things I’ve done,” Brukhis said. “To see my hard work payoff and their sacrifices pay off is really meaningful.”

Brukhis will leave for Israel in October 2018 and will return to the U.S. with her master’s degree in August 2019.

Althea Larson can be reached at lars2360@stthomas.edu.