FOR RELEASE: June 19, 2014

CONTACT:
Caryl McFarlane | Senior Program Officer, Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships | (609) 452-7007 x135
Beverly Sanford | Vice President for Communications | (609) 452-7007 x181

PICKERING FOREIGN AFFAIRS FELLOWS FOR 2014 NAMED

U.S. State Department program at Woodrow Wilson Foundation supports preparation of future Foreign Service Officers

PRINCETON, N.J.—The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation has announced the selection of 40 new Fellows in a program that prepares outstanding candidates to represent the United States as Foreign Service Officers.

Administered for the U.S. Department of State by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the Pickering Fellowships identify and cultivate stellar college students and recent graduates whose academic backgrounds fulfill the skill needs of the State Department and who are dedicated to representing America’s interests abroad. The Department of State seeks a Foreign Service that reflects the diversity and excellence of our society. The Fellowships encourage the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service and those with financial need.

The 2014 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellows—20 Undergraduate Fellows and 20 Graduate Fellows—have demonstrated skills critical to members of the U.S. diplomatic corps, including dedication, initiative, integrity, cultural adaptability, the ability to communicate well, and a thorough intellectual background. (See below for full lists of the 2014 Undergraduate and Graduate Fellows.)

Selected in their junior year, the 20 Pickering Undergraduate Fellows will receive financial support towards tuition and other expenses during the senior undergraduate year and the first year of graduate study. They are the 21st class of Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellows. The 2014 Undergraduate Fellows come from 18 different institutions and are majoring in such fields as political science, economics, Chinese, Russian, and Middle Eastern studies.

The 18th class of Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellows will receive financial support towards a two-year, full-time master’s degree program in a field related to international affairs and diplomacy. The 2014 Pickering Graduate Fellows, recent graduates of campuses across the nation, will do master’s work at one of nearly a dozen institutions nationwide.

Fellows in both programs participate in one domestic and one overseas internship, receive mentoring from Foreign Service Officers and must complete a minimum five year service commitment as a Foreign Service Officer. Fellows must meet all Foreign Service entry requirements to remain in the program. The mission of a U.S. diplomat in the Foreign Service is to promote peace, support prosperity, and protect American citizens while advancing the interests of the U.S. abroad.

The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program is named in honor of one of the most distinguished and capable American diplomats of the latter half of the 20th century. Ambassador Pickering holds the rank of Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service. He served as Ambassador to Nigeria, El Salvador, Israel, India, and the Russian Federation, finishing his career in the Foreign Service as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

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The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation identifies and develops leaders and institutions to meet the nation’s critical challenges.

Rana Abdelhamid, Middlebury College

Juan Aparicio, Harvard University

Jerrel Baker, Morehouse College

Camilo Caballero, Georgia Institute of Technology

Pamela Davis, Syracuse University

Elaine Golden, University of Miami

Jennifer Ham, Columbia University

Trevis Harrold, Eastern Michigan University

Mpaza Kapembwa, Williams College

Emmanuel Laboy, Quinnipiac University

Nobuko Maybin, The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania

Jalita Moore, American University

Shaiesha Moore, Georgetown University

Abbey Pellino, Arizona State University

C James Peranteau, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee

Hiram Rios Hernandez, University of South Florida

Spencer Salibur, Middlebury College

Laura Solano, Georgetown University

Dante Toppo, Claremont McKenna College

Andy Vo, Yale University

BilQis Aidara Adjei, New York University; Will attend: American University

Yared Asnake, University of California-Los Angeles; Will attend: Georgetown University

Oluwadamisi Atanda, CUNY City College; Will attend: Columbia University

Michael Bustamante, Saint John’s University (NY); Will attend: The Johns Hopkins University

Karen Castro, Otterbein University; Will attend: American University

Bryan Furman, The College of New Jersey; Will attend: Georgetown University

Sheimaliz Glover, University of South Carolina; Will attend: The Johns Hopkins University

Sama Habib, Fordham University; Will attend: Columbia University

Alexandra Hall, Vanderbilt University; Will attend: New York University

Porter Illi, Utah State University; Will attend: Georgetown University

Leland Lazarus, Brown University; Will attend: Tufts University

Oriana Luquetta, Seton Hall University; Will attend: The University of California—Los Angeles

Denise Marton Menendez, University of South Florida; Will attend: University of Denver

Alana McGinty, Illinois State University; Will attend: American University

Jessica Pham, Stanford University; Will attend: The Johns Hopkins University

Eddy Santana, Tufts University; Will attend: Georgetown University

Austin Slaymaker, University of Oklahoma; Will attend: Harvard University

Elizabeth Trobaugh, Mills College; Will attend: Columbia University

Jerica Ward, Cedarville University; Will attend: Texas A&M University

Amanda Whatley, Alabama Agriculture and Mechanical University; Will attend: American University

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