Luke Green, Fellowships Coordinator, Seattle University

Q: How did you decide to work in the field of fellowships and why do you find it rewarding?
A: One of the major reasons I pursued work as a scholarship advisor was the youth of the field itself. Seattle University is among the growing number of institutions that recognize the importance of centralized, formal advising services for students who want to apply for nationally and internationally competitive funding. Working in a field that is still very new is exciting as it gives me innumerable opportunities to be creative and to move forward initiatives on the developing edge of my university. The primary benefit, however, is working with such talented and passionate young women and men. Most of the scholarship advisors I’ve spoken with over the years have emphasized this same point; we are impacting the lives of tomorrow’s leaders, and in this way, everyday, we get to change the world.

Q: If you could invite three people (living or dead) to dinner who would they be and why?
A: The instinctual answer would be to invite a few of my heroes, but I think it might be even more interesting to sit down with some villains for a change, folks like Hitler, Stalin, or bin Laden. I think history has relegated these guys to positions of absolute, irredeemable evil and I am fascinated by the possibility that there are aspects of their personalities that are underemphasized to the point of being lost altogether. There’s no doubt that the things they did or allowed to happen were atrocious, but I’d like to know what made them so charismatic to such huge numbers of people.

Q: Tell us about a community service project that you currently participate in or have participated in that has meaning for you.
A: The only thing I’ve had time to participate in recently is volunteering at a local women and children’s shelter here in Seattle. Grad school and work have kept me pretty busy.

Q: What are you reading this summer and why?
A: In addition to my psychology books for school, I’m reading Research for Development by Sophie Laws. It’s a great introduction to the field of international development research. I feel that it will better equip me to advise the many students at Seattle University who are interested in international studies, policy and development work. My ulterior motive for reading it is to give myself a foundation in qualitative research methods for a possible research opportunity in Cambodia next summer.

Q: If there’s life after fellowship-advising, what would you like to do and why?
A: I’d like to get my hands dirty. I don’t want to live behind a desk my whole career, though I know that will likely be part of whatever I do. I’ve thought a lot about getting involved in international service and development projects. Community mental health is a topic that greatly interests me, one which I hope to be equipped to pursue after graduate school.