Northern Michigan University student and McNair Scholar Marissa Bekkering is one of 20 students accepted into the Keith Sherin Global Leaders Program at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in The Hague, Netherlands. The Hudsonville, Mich., native will participate in the program from June 29-July 21.
Bekkering is a double major in international studies and communications with a minor in technical theater. She applied for the program due to her excelled interest in pursuing doctoral studies in intercultural communication after she graduates from NMU.
“I was completely in shock when I found out I was accepted into the program,” said Bekkering. ”I have been out of the Midwest a handful of times and I have never actually left the country, so it is very exciting to have this opportunity to go abroad and learn more about how I can make the world a better place.”
The Keith Sherin Global Leaders Program is co-sponsored by the Council for Opportunity in Education and ECHO Center for Diversity Policy. It accredited by The Hague University of Applied Sciences, an institute made up of 14 academies.
The university offers 42 full-time undergraduate degrees, 21 part-time (nine taught in English) and 10 dual bachelor's courses. The university also offers nine master's degrees (three taught in English), has a student population of approximately 25,000 students and is known for the international characteristic of its student population, with about 146 nationalities represented on campus.
The McNair Scholars Program is a federal TRIO program funded at 151 institutions across the United States and Puerto Rico by the U.S. Department of Education. It is designed to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. McNair participants have demonstrated strong academic potential and are either first-generation college students with financial need or members of a group that is traditionally underrepresented in graduate education.