West Virginia University political science and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps May graduate Josh Gotay will soon get an inside look at the relationship between Israel and the United States.
Gotay, of Clifton, Va., a recipient of the Anna Sobol Levy Foundation fellowship, is spending a year in Israel at The Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
With the fellowship, Gotay will be given $10,000 to study at the university. While there, he will participate in briefings and visits to the Israeli military bases.
“I am a little nervous because I will be out of my realm. But, it is a great opportunity to go over to the Middle East and gain inside knowledge on the politics and culture of Israel,” Gotay said, adding that he plans on earning credits towards his master’s degree.
After his year at the university, Gotay will begin his four-year commitment to the Army as an officer in the Medical Service Corps. During which, he hopes, to serve as a medevac pilot.
“As an officer it is not only what you do, but what you know. I hope to gain a true understanding of the Middle East, and learn how people from that culture think compared to western culture and be able to share that with my men,” he said.
He will be in Israel from August 2010 to June 2011.
The fellowship is open to college graduates who have studied in fields of military studies, international relations, political science, history or economic geography. Candidates must be U.S. citizens, and they must have career goals in the armed services, diplomatic corps, international relations, government or public service.
WVU’s Army ROTC program provides individuals with the tools, training and experiences they need to become officers in the U.S. Army. There are approximately 250 students currently enrolled in the program.
In 2007-08 WVU’s Army ROTC program was recognized as the best program in the Eastern Region of the United States and in turn was awarded the General Douglas MacArthur Award.
For more information on WVU’s Army ROTC program, visit http://armyrotc.com/edu/wvauniv/index.htm or contact Major Mark Hennigan at 304-685-7766 or Mark.Hennigan@mail.wvu.edu .
For more information on the fellowship, visit
http://www.annasobollevyfoundation.org/aboutthefoundation.html .
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