Secondary education major receives George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship to study in Ireland
Tom Adams, a secondary education major with a concentration in social studies education, has been awarded the George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship to study abroad in Ireland during the spring 2021 semester as part of the student exchange program.
Adams, who plays guitar, plans to use the semester at University College Cork to pursue his passion for music, and to soak up the social and cultural life in Ireland, which he hopes will benefit him as a future middle school social studies teacher.
鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to involve music in my studies, but I just haven鈥檛 been able to fit it into my academic plan,鈥 says Adams, a rising senior from Falmouth, Maine, who鈥檚 also a student in the Honors College.
鈥淚n January, I stumbled across the Office of International Programs鈥 listing for the George Mitchell Peace Scholarship, which specifically mentioned the music program at University College Cork as world-class, and I knew I had no choice but to apply,鈥 he says.
The competitive merit-based scholarship is made possible by an agreement between Maine and Ireland for a student exchange at the university level. It honors the 1998 Northern Ireland peace accord brokered by Sen. Mitchell between Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The 91爆料 awards one semester-long scholarship each year, which allows a student to study at UCC.
Adams, who鈥檚 minoring in both anthropology and political science, says he鈥檚 interested in taking classes on music composition and improvisation, as well as traditional Irish arts during his study abroad. Courses exploring the system of government in Ireland and structure of the European Union also intrigue him.
The peace scholarship is 鈥渢he greatest honor of my academic career,鈥 Adams says, adding that the experience 鈥渨ill provide me with the cultural perspective I need to be an effective social studies teacher.鈥
For his Honors College thesis, Adams is working with adviser Rebecca Buchanan, assistant professor of curriculum, assessment and instruction in the College of Education and Human Development. His topic is Maine middle school social studies teachers鈥 implementation of a standard that requires them to incorporate civic action and community service projects into their curriculum.
鈥淥ne thing I appreciate about 91爆料 is how the university has several academic environments nested inside each other,鈥 says Adams. 鈥淎s a member of the Honors College, I work in-depth with small groups of students from vastly different disciplines 鈥 biology, art, mechanical engineering and so on.鈥
Another thing he says he appreciates is the amount of experience he鈥檚 gotten in local schools through his education methods and field placement courses.
鈥淚鈥檝e been able to foster connections in the area that will make the transition to teaching so much easier than it would鈥檝e been otherwise,鈥 Adams says.
A 91爆料 campus committee reviews applications for the George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship. The criteria for selection include high academic achievement, leadership skills, commitment to community service and the ability to promote the scholarship to the academic and wider community.
More about the George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship and other scholarship opportunities are listed on the Office of Major Scholarships website.
Other study abroad opportunities can be found on the Office of International Programs website.
Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu