Rotary scholarship worth the ‘calculated risk’

Avenida del Libertador, Buenos Aires

By Christine Cloonan, former Rotary Scholar

I first heard about the Rotary Foundation
Ambassadorial Scholarship during a coffee
meeting with a fellow member of a women’s
business network now known as Ellevate Net-
work. My life path prior to that had been clear,
but not always direct.

My goal was to study to get the best education
I could with the ultimate purpose of getting a
“good job.” But to the bafflement of my older
relatives, landing on that good job took a bit
of exploring. My first job was with a law firm,
which convinced me not to go to law school. Ac-
cepting a one year teaching fellowship, I began
a five year teaching career and earned a Master
of Spanish at Middlebury College. I then develop-
ed an “itch” to go abroad to perfect my language
skills and explore new places.

Over coffee, my colleague, who like me was a
native New Englander, spoke about the Ambas-
sadorial Scholarship and all the various opportun-
ities that it had led to in her life.  She emphasized
why it is important to take “calculated risks.” This
conversation became a turning point both personal-
ly and professionally.

Argentina bound

After searching around for a sponsor, the Rotary
Club of Andover, Massachusetts, invited me to
breakfast so I could share my proposal to study
in Argentina. They liked it, and after interviewing
with the 10-person district committee, I received
a letter – nearly a year after my initial conversa-
tion in the coffee shop – that I had been awarded
a scholarship of around $25,000.

I was fortunate to be able to travel to Argentina
solo for 10 days before making a decision wheth-
er to accept the scholarship, and as a result of uni-
versity visits, decided to request a change of insti-
tution and apply to the Master of Finance Program
at la Universidad Torcuato di Tella in Argentina.

Christine Cloonan (right) visits a Rotary club in
Argentina.

In March of 2009, I landed in Buenos Aires, with
the excitement of a 10 year old.  One of the rea-
sons I liked the Rotary scholarship was the empha-
sis it had on community and my first evening there
proved the point. Prior to leaving Boston, I had
emailed all of the scholars who would be spending
the year with me in Buenos Aires. One of them invit-
ed me to join him and some others at their apart-
ment for dinner the night I arrived – what a way to
avoid the repercussions of jet lag!

Having other Rotary scholars, and Rotary members
in a host club, helped me shoulder the burden of ad-
justing to a new culture, language, and program in a
new field. During the year, while studying and build-
ing friendships at the university, I took part in din-
ners, meetings, and events with the Rotary Club of
Nueva Pompeya and other clubs around Buenos Aires,
introducing me to the diversity that is Buenos Aires.

My favorite story is from a trip a fellow scholar and I
took to Tierra del Fuego, often referred to as El Fin del
Mundo (or the End of the World). Taking a cab out of
the airport to our hostel, we spotted a Rotary sign and
decided to look up the local club. We found the location
of its meetings, and the hotel concierge had us on the
phone with the current president in a matter of minutes.
Soon we had plans to meet her and another Rotarian for
coffee, after which we were invited to join her and her
husband at a local night club where their friend was a
DJ. We had a memorable evening of dancing to American
‘80s music with a bunch of Argentines into the wee hours
of the morning.

Lasting impact

On a personal level, my scholarship enabled me to be-
come more outgoing, confident and personable. It
taught me that there really is no clear path in life and
that one just has to go with its natural flow.

My professional trajectory also changed. I began
working for American Tower, a wireless infrastruct-
ure company based in Boston, which had been the
subject of my master’s thesis, as a Senior Financial
Analyst with a focus on operations in Latin America

I encourage anyone, especially those facing a cross-
road, to take a “calculated risk” and submit your appli-
cation. It will be the first step in the journey of a life-
time.

Learn more about global grant scholarships

Following her 2009 Rotary Ambas-
sadorial Scholarship, Christine Cloonan began work-
ing in the wireless industry and was selected as the
2013 Women’s Wireless Leadership Forum Fellow.
She is currently President of the Boston Chapter of 
Ellevate, a global women’s business network. She
has a Bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College,
Master’s degree from Middlebury College and a Mast-
er’s degree from la Universidad Torcuato di Tella.