FOR RELEASE: May 20, 2013

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

WOODROW WILSON FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2013 FOREIGN AFFAIRS FELLOWS

U.S. State Department program supports preparation of future Foreign Service Officers

PRINCETON, NJ—This fall, forty exceptional men and women will begin their journey towards representing America as Foreign Service Officers through the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships. After an intense selection process, the 2013 Pickering Fellows—20 Undergraduate Fellows and 20 Graduate Fellows—were identified as candidates with some of the skills crucial for members of the United States diplomatic corps: dedication, leadership, planning, cultural adaptability, and strong communication skills. (See below for full lists of the 2013 Undergraduate and Graduate Fellows.)

Administered for the U.S. Department of State by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the Pickering Fellowships develop a source of men and women whose academic and professional backgrounds fulfill the skill needs of the State Department and who are dedicated to representing America’s interests abroad.

Selected in their junior year, the 20 Pickering Undergraduate Fellows will receive financial support towards tuition and other expenses during the senior year of college and the first year of graduate study. They are the 20th class of Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellows.

The 17th class of Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellows will receive financial support towards a two-year, full-time master’s degree program in fields such as public policy, international affairs, public administration, and other related academic fields. This year’s Fellows (who include a Fulbright scholar) have been admitted to master’s degree programs at a range of institutions including Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Denver, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, American University, Carnegie Mellon University, and more.

Fellows in both programs participate in one domestic and one overseas internship. Upon the completion of their master’s degree, they commit to three years of service as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State. The Foreign Service, a corps of working professionals who support the President of the United States and the Secretary of State in advancing the interests of the U.S. abroad, are “front-line” personnel who can be sent anywhere in the world, at any time, in service to the diplomatic needs of the United States.

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 Thomas R. 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.

# # #

The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation identifies and develops leaders and institutions to meet the nation’s critical challenges. In these areas of challenge, the Foundation awards fellowships to enrich human resources, works to improve public policy, and assists organizations and institutions in enhancing practice.

Shama Ams, St. John‘s University

LaVonda Baldwin, University of Pittsburgh

Sophia Berhie, Georgetown University

Ana De La Cruz, Georgetown University

Carl D’Oleo-Lundgren, University of Connecticut

Nursultan Eldosov, Georgetown University

Ayanda Francis, Georgia Institute of Technology

Salman Haji, Macalester College

Angell Kim, University of Texas

Victoria Lewis-Young, Spelman College

Kevin Moss, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Connor Myers, Georgetown University

Alexis Nieves, Wheaton College (MA)

Elizabeth Pinedo, Northwestern University

Walter Quintanilla, The University of Chicago

Jose Ramirez Rivera, American University

Ashley Simmons, Claflin University

Kenton Slaughter, George Washington University

David Truong, Yale University

Jeremy Williams, Hendrix College

Yamily Arab, Florida International University, Will attend: American University

Jorge Benavides, University of San Diego, Will attend: American University

Jack Bisase, University of North Florida, Will attend: American University

Brittany Carroll, Elon University, Will attend: American University

Carolina Chica, The College of New Jersey, Will attend: George Washington University

Katie Collins, Eastern Michigan University, Will attend: University of Michigan

Katelyn Lucas, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Will attend: Marquette University

Juan Germán, Occidental College, Will attend: Carnegie Mellon University

Jacob Glenn, Brigham Young University, Will attend: Georgetown University

Ji-Hyeun Kwon-Min, Duke University, Will attend: Fulbright (Spain)

Tara Lewis, Princeton University, Will attend: University of California, Berkeley

Kate Macken, Rochester Institute of Technology, Will attend: TBD

Vi Nguyen, Yale University, Will attend: Harvard University

Gai (John) Nyok, Virginia Commonwealth University, Will attend: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Chigozie Okocha, Colorado State University, Will attend: University of Denver

Vera Partem, Lehigh University, Will attend: University of Pennsylvania

Abdulaziz Said, Syracuse University, Will attend: Harvard University

Emmett Sapp, Georgetown University, Will attend: Princeton University

Tori Stephens, OHIO University, Will attend: TBD

Sandra Zuniga Guzman, University of Richmond, Will attend: Johns Hopkins University

---