Team Interviews: Maria Carvalhosa

Meet the team!
05 may 2016

Maria Carvalhosa joined the Armenian Communities Department in August 2013. She started working at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation at the International Department. She later joined the team responsible for the magazine Colóquio/Letras. From 2001 to 2013, after specializing in the Field of Development Assistance by completing a Master Degree in Development and International Cooperation, she worked in the area of cooperation with Portuguese speaking African countries (Países Africanos de Língua Portuguesa( PALOP)) within the Foundation.

Currently, she is the Scholarship Coordinator at the ACD. She manages the following programmes: Global Excellence Scholarship, Undergraduate Studies Scholarship, Armenian Studies Scholarship, Western Armenian Teacher Education Scholarship, Short Term Grants, Scholarship for Armenian University Students studying in Portugal, Emergency scholarships.

 

How long have you been working at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation?

I have worked at the Foundation for 33 years.

 

How did you get the opportunity to join the Armenian Communities Department?

I became interested in the Department’s programme after its re-organization in 2013, and decided to take the initiative of sending my CV to the Director. Since I graduated in International Relations and completed a Master Degree in Cooperation, I felt confident that my academic qualifications would be fitting for the Department’s programming. One of the things which motivated me to apply was the chance to give back to the Armenian Communities what one Armenian, our Founder, bequeathed to us and taught us. I was also very excited about getting to know more about the Armenian culture and the Armenian people, a very ancient culture and a people who are as positive as well as resilient.

 

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

One element is the almost daily emails we receive from candidates and scholarship beneficiaries thanking us for our work. From the simplest answer to a question, or even when we give a negative reply regarding the eligibility of an application, to the awarding of a scholarship or a small grant, the feedback is always very pleasant and worthwhile.

The reading of the thesis proposals, which we receive for the Global Excellence and Armenian Studies Scholarship, is the most enriching part of my work and consequently, one of the most rewarding. My job is very demanding and I am subject to strict timelines, so the positive feedback from the candidates and scholarship beneficiaries, and what they teach me, is very gratifying.

 

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

To open 7 different scholarship programmes at the start of every year is quite a challenge! But, at the end of the year, it is also very exciting to write an annual scholarship report and have a tangible notion of the results achieved. For example, in 2015 we awarded 259 scholarships, including renewals. I hope that these scholarships contributed to the academic, professional and personal development of the students and researchers and increased knowledge in the field of Armenians studies, as well as other disciplines.

 

Can you briefly explain the objective of the scholarship programmes?

Each scholarship category is explained on our website, with their specific objectives. The overall objective is to give higher education opportunities to Armenian students and to encourage research in the field of Armenian Studies, particularly on contemporary issues. We always try to balance between topics, regions, time periods, disciplines and gender. Most of our scholarships go towards obtaining a university degree, but we also have short term scholarships to facilitate research and exchange of ideas.

 

What is the average number of applications submitted per year?

We receive an average of 570 applications per year, although it is worth highlighting that in 2015 the number doubled in relation to 2014. In 2016, it seems (even though the scholarship season only ends at the end of May) the number is similar to that of 2015. If this is the case, the average of 2015-2016 will be between 700 to 750 applications.

 

How many scholarships did you grant in 2015?

We attributed 259 scholarships in 2015.

Global Excellence scholarship: 6 scholarships and 4 renewals- total 10;

Armenian Studies Scholarship: 13 scholarships and 12 renewals- total 25;

Short Term Grants for Armenian Studies: 47 scholarships;

Western Armenian Teacher Education Scholarship: 1 scholarship;

Short Term Conference and Travel Grants: 88 scholarships;

Undergraduate Studies Scholarship: 43 scholarships and 33 renewals- total 76;

Support to Armenian Students in Portugal: 6 scholarships and 6 renewals- total 12.

 

What are some of the most frequent questions candidates ask you?

Candidates ask various questions. I am under the impression that candidates believe it is simpler to send us an email rather than reading the information available on our website. In general, if the answer is available online we re-direct candidates to our website, or if it is the case, to our Frequently Asked Question Page, as well as to our annual scholarship reports. The most reoccurring question is whether a candidate is eligible for a specific scholarship programme.

 

What distinguishes a good application from a bad application?

From an administrative point of view, a good application abides by the conditions established for the scholarships in terms of documents and organization of the files- i.e. that the documents are well labeled, applications are complete and do not include unnecessary documents that we do not request. From a content point of view, based on which decisions are made, once academic merit has been verified (name of university, grades and letters of recommendation) a good application- be it at Masters, PhD or Post Doc- should cover an original and pertinent topic. At the undergraduate level we take into consideration grades, the university and the field of study, as well as the country of origin (a pre-requisite since Undergraduate Scholarships are for developing countries). Most our undergraduate scholarships go to candidates from Lebanon, Syria and Turkey given the evident lack of education resources present in these countries.

 

What is the criteria used to evaluate applications?

The evaluation criteria were established when the scholarship programmes were re-launched in 2014. The main criterion, as mentioned, is the candidates’ merit, as well as the originality and pertinence of the thesis proposal for Master, PhD and Post Doc students. We have moved away from needs-based scholarships to merit-based. Hence we do not ask questions about parental or student income. However, students who obtain other scholarships must notify us.

 

How do you say “no” to worthy candidates?

Unfortunately our resources are limited. We have well defined criteria and we carefully review each scholarship, however the number of worthy candidates exceeds the number of scholarships we can provide. For example, in our most recent scholarship for undergraduate studies we had 68 candidates that met all the conditions to receive a scholarship, including a grade average between 80% to 100%, but unfortunately, we will not be able to award them all with scholarships. It is part of the competitive process.

 

What advice would you like to give to students who apply for scholarships?

I would tell them to never give up fighting to achieve their goals, because sometimes the hard path we have to cross to get to our destination is what enriches us. I would advise them to always keep this in mind.

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