2024 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellowship Program Snapshots
On November 17, the 2024 Pickering Fellowship selection panel chose 45 2024 Pickering Fellows. The selection panel was extremely impressed by the new fellows’ experiences, leadership, and commitment to a Foreign Service career. The program received 1419 applications, and the selection process was highly competitive.
Zain Abid is a Pakistani American who was born and raised in Falls Church, VA. He graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and minors in French and International Relations, focusing on South and Southeast Asian politics. His academic journey includes an array of internships in nonprofits, defense contracting companies, and the U.S. Department of State’s Mission to Pakistan and ASEAN. Zain studied abroad at the National University of Singapore, where he immersed himself in political science courses and volunteered with NUS’s ACE Migrants program, engaging with settled migrants from Malaysia and India. His extensive exploration of Southeast Asia spanned Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, shaping his aspiration for a Master of Arts in International Affairs in the U.S. Zain intends to study democratization, authoritarianism, and comparative migrant and social policy. His languages include French, Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi.
Oluwakemi Adewalure is a first-generation Nigerian American from New Jersey. She graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies and American Studies. She has interned at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the United States Trade Representative. Post-graduation, Kemi worked at the United States Institute of Peace on the China and Northeast Asia Team, focusing on U.S.-China relations and ways to strengthen diplomacy to reduce tensions and enhance peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Her languages include Yoruba, Korean, Spanish, Mandarin, and Japanese.
Raghav Aggarwal was born and raised in Houston, Texas, finding his roots in community service among the Asian-American diaspora. After witnessing Asia’s rise affect his community, Raghav developed an interest in Indo-Pacific diplomacy. He studied International Relations and Economics with a minor in Chinese at the University of Texas at Austin. He has worked in the Texas House of Representatives, interned with USAID, and published open-source reports for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He also participated in the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program, interning with the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Raghav’s languages include Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, Urdu, and Spanish.
Sundus Ahmed is a second-generation Somali American, born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies. During her time at UW, Sundus founded a startup aimed at assisting non-profits with effective marketing strategies. Venturing beyond borders, she participated in a study abroad program in Ghana, volunteering at Cheerful Hearts, a non-profit committed to eradicating child labor. Throughout her UW journey, Sundus held multiple internships, from being an author at Blackpast to working as an operations intern at Amazon. After graduation, Sundus pivoted into the technology sector, joining Zillow’s Business Operations Rotational Program, where she worked as a Data Analyst and Product Associate. Her commitment extended beyond her professional role, as she assumed the position of Allyship Chair on the Women’s Impact Network ERG Council, bringing her social justice perspective into the corporate world. Sundus’s languages include Somali, Spanish, and Arabic.
Michael Ball is a first-generation college graduate from rural Colorado. He earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in political science and Middle East and North African studies from Denison University. Michael completed the Critical Language Scholarship for Arabic, studied migration in Rabat, Morocco as a Gilman Scholarship recipient, and later interned with his university’s Center for Global Programs. After graduation, he interned at USAID and then studied in Amman, Jordan as a Boren Scholar. Michael currently serves as a Policy Analyst in USAID’s Bureau for Management in Washington, D.C. During graduate school, Michael aims to study governance and democratic backsliding, conflict, migration, and economics. He hopes to gain exposure to the appropriations cycle and domestic sources of U.S. foreign policy through a Congressional internship and to polish his writing skills. He is proficient in Arabic.
Piara Biggs was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. She graduated summa cum laude from Middlebury College with a Bachelor’s Degree in International and Global Studies focusing on Global Security Studies. Piara is passionate about advocating for human rights and humanitarian assistance for vulnerable and displaced populations affected by conflicts and disasters. She has studied abroad in France, Morocco, and in Jordan as a 2019 Boren Scholar. Piara previously worked in the U.S. House of Representatives, and she is currently employed as a Staff Assistant in the U.S. Senate. Her languages include French and Arabic.
Ayanna Camara was born in Tampa, Florida, but grew up in Palm Beach County. She attended Florida State University as an Eda and Cliff Viner Community Scholars Foundation Scholarship recipient. She graduated with a double major in Political Science and History, and a minor in French. During her time at Florida State, she participated in undergraduate research and studied abroad in France and Germany. Following graduation, Ayanna served as a college coach for high school-aged students during her time as a member of AmeriCorps. Additionally, she has spent the past 2 years teaching English as a second language in South Korea to elementary school students. This upcoming fall, Ayanna intends on pursuing her Master’s Degree in either Public Administration or Public Policy to further her understanding of the ways that policy impacts governance and international relations. Her languages include English and French.
Arabella Christiansen is from New Orleans, Louisiana. She graduated from the University of Louisiana with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and political science. She recently completed her master’s degree in global affairs and policy at Yonsei University in South Korea. While at Yonsei University, Arabella was a teaching assistant and interned for the East Asia Institute. She taught English to North Korean Refugees through the Liberty in North Korea project. Arabella traveled extensively during her time as a flight attendant with United Airlines and lived in Seoul for three years. She plans to continue her studies on conflict prevention, non-proliferation, and security in Washington, DC. Arabella is proficient in Korean and Spanish.
Gal Cohen was born in Israel and raised in Boulder County, Colorado. She was a first-generation college student at Colby College and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Global Studies and a concentration in International Relations. Gal has completed internships with non-profits, NGOs, and think tanks across five continents, including the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Gal currently works in the U.S. Senate as a foreign policy legislative staffer and previously worked in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her interests lie in the nexus between foreign and technology policy. Gal’s languages include Spanish and Hebrew.
Clemencia El Antouri was born and raised in Covington, Georgia. She attended the University of Georgia and double majored in International Affairs and Romance Languages. While in university, she was a Security Leadership Fellow at the Center for International Trade and Security and an ambassador for the School of Public and International Affairs. She also worked at the British Standards Institute as a Research Associate and the Office of Global Engagement as a Junior Advisor. She is most interested in the topics of Middle Eastern affairs, East Asian affairs, refugees and migration, and humanitarian development. Clemencia’s languages include Arabic, Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese.
Brandon Evans is from Henderson, NC, where he grew up full of energy, passion, and eagerness to explore life. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on active duty from 2011 to 2015 before beginning his undergraduate at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). At NCCU, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, before earning his Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt University. Brandon is passionate about serving others and ensuring their human rights, specifically their right to religious freedom, are accessible. He enjoys spending time with family and friends and looks forward to cultivating more relationships throughout the Pickering fellowship. Brandon’s hobbies include hiking, running, food tasting, and traveling, and he hopes to run his first marathon (26.2 miles) in 2024. He has traveled to Spain, Greece, Jordan, Israel, Bahrain, Kenya, and Nicaragua.
Francisco Gamez was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and grew up in Miami. After almost a decade of experience working in the private sector, Frank will graduate from Florida International University’s Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, along with undergraduate certificates in National Security and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. His academic journey is complemented by a series of internships at various federal agencies, including the General Services Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of State. Frank is an Eagle Scout and dedicates his time to volunteering with organizations such as Rotary International and the Boy Scouts of America. As he looks towards the future, Frank is excited about exploring opportunities for further studies in graduate schools, aiming to deepen his expertise in international relations and foreign policy. His languages include Spanish and French.
Jade Gonzalez, from Bertrand, Nebraska, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Quest bridge Scholar where she majored in International Relations and European History. She currently works as a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company in their Washington, D.C. office, where she works predominately in the public sector and travel and logistics practices. Previously, Jade acted as a Perry World House Student Fellow, where she researched climate migration in the Lake Chad region of Africa. She has also conducted research on Middle Eastern food culture and the Islamic Agricultural Revolution for Penn’s Near Eastern Languages and Civilization department and was an Environmental think tank intern at the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program. She hopes to attend graduate school in the Washington, D.C. area and study International Environmental policy to further pursue her academic interests in culinary diplomacy, sustainable agriculture, and climate change mitigation. Jade’s languages include Spanish and Russian.
Leia Green is originally from Nashville, Tennessee. They completed their undergraduate studies at Middle Tennessee State University, majoring in Spanish and minoring in Latin American Studies. During their time at MTSU, Leia studied abroad for three semesters in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Spain. They actively engaged in various extracurricular activities, including volunteering for a literacy program and teaching ESL. Leia was selected as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Chaco, Argentina. They worked at both urban and rural teacher training colleges throughout the province. Leia remained part of the Fulbright team upon completion of their grant, accepting the position of Mentor for incoming grantees. Leia has mentored over 90 grantees since 2020. While serving as a Mentor, they live in Corrientes, Argentina. They recently completed an online Certificate in Medical Interpretation from the Tennessee Language Center. Looking forward, Leia is interested in studying for a Master’s in Public Administration, concentrating on human rights within Latin America.
Fardosa Hassan is a first-generation Somali American who was born in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and immigrated to Clarkston at the age of eight. She brings a unique perspective to her studies and future career. She graduated from UGA with bachelor’s degrees in entertainment and media studies from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and financial planning from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Currently, she is an AmeriCorps member serving at the New American Pathways, a refugee resettlement organization. During her time at UGA, Hassan produced, directed, and wrote several short films. Her first film, Zone 5B, received an official selection at the 2023 Student World Impact Film Festival (SWIFF). She also served as a Grady College Ambassador.
Naz Hussein was born in Iraq, grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, and is of Kurdish descent. She is a writer, editor, researcher, and former refugee. Naz holds a BA in International Studies with a Middle East concentration and a BS in Media Production from the University of Florida. She was an advocacy intern at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, where she worked to promote human rights in the MENA region by centering localized perspectives. Naz was also an editor at a financial newsletter for two years, contributing to pieces on monetary policy and capital markets. Other experiences include being a co-director at a student non-profit organization that provides refugee relief to communities. She fought to increase the refugee admissions ceiling in the U.S. and worked for an organization focused on telling the stories of former refugees. Naz was a Congressional intern and a Gilman Scholar. She is fluent in Arabic.
Aimee Ihirwe is a Burundian American who grew up in Tanzania, before moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan. In Michigan, she attended an International Baccalaureate high school and spent an exchange year in Germany through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX). Aimee attended Howard University studying Sociology and Political Science while minoring in German. In addition to studying abroad in Germany twice, she has also studied in Ghana. Aimee has interned at Future Now Action, the International Research and Exchanges Board, the Council on Foreign Relations, and currently, the Aspen Institute. In addition to being a CBYX-Alumna, Aimee was also a Charles B. Rangel SEP (Summer Enrichment Program) Scholar and a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar. After completing her bachelor’s in Sociology and bachelor’s in political science in May 2024, Aimee will continue her education by pursuing a Master’s in International Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna, Italy.
Sama Kubba is originally from Iraq and grew up in Virginia. She is concurrently graduating in May 2024 from Harvard College with a BA in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and Government and from Harvard GSAS with an MA in Modern Middle Eastern Studies. Sama has worked at the State Department for two years in several offices such as the Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs and the American Institute in Taiwan, for Senator Warren on immigration, and for Carnegie-China’s Director on the Indo-Pacific. Sama currently works for NASA’s Office of Interagency and International Affairs.
Khadajah Muhammad was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh where she received a bachelor’s degree in political science while minoring in the Administration of Justice and achieving a global studies certificate in Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies. She has a passion and a commitment to positive social impact for marginalized communities both locally and internationally. Khadajah continually works to be the change she wants to see in the world. She enjoys spending time volunteering with international NGOs and local nonprofits that focus on increasing human services and quality of life. She has interned with the VSFS with USAID. She completed the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs program and currently, she is working in the private sector on the IT side for a philanthropy-focused consulting company. Her languages include Spanish and Arabic.
Efe Oboh-Idahosa was born and raised in Nigeria but relocated to the United States with her family at the age of 12. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She minored in Black, Legal, and Urban Studies and has a concentration in pre-law. Efe’s topics of interest are gender equity and equality, immigration, economy, and politics. Her languages include Pidgin English, Edo, and Yoruba.
Chekwubechi Okunowo was born in Boston and spent her formative years in Nigeria. She will graduate from Drew University with a major in International Relations and a minor in Economics. During the fall Semester of her Senior year, she studied abroad in London, interned at the UK Parliament, and explored the United Kingdom and parts of Europe like Spain, France, and Portugal. Other impactful experiences include an internship with the International Federation for Sustainable Peace and Development (IFPSD), alongside a semester at the UN dedicated to learning from diplomats and experts. Committed to tackling social justice issues, Chekwube led her university’s Racial Justice Committee and participated in the Writing Wrongs Advocacy Journalism Program, giving a voice to marginalized communities in Pennsylvania.
Mark Perez Navarro is from Independence, Missouri, and will graduate from Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Colleges, earning an honors degree in Political Studies. Mark studied at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, through the Sarah Lawrence Programme at Wadham College, where he studied international relations of Latin America and political theory. Mark’s internships at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City and the Community Service League highlighted his skills in addressing community challenges and policy development. For graduate school, Mark wants to specialize in International Affairs and Security, focusing on Latin America; Mark is dedicated to advancing his knowledge of U.S. foreign policy. Mark is fluent in Spanish.
Joseph Pesmen is from Chicago, Illinois. He is a COVID-era graduate of American University, where he studied international relations. J.’s career with the State Department began at age 19 and has since included roles supporting the Secretary’s Office of Executive Technology and Operation Allies Welcome. He is currently on an external assignment to the White House Situation Room. His languages include Levantine Arabic, serial commas, and puns.
Guerlina Philogene was born in Haiti and moved to the United States where she was raised in Stamford, Connecticut. As a first-generation college attendee, she first completed her Associate’s at Norwalk Community College, where she had the honor of being a speaker for her graduating class. She then pursued her Bachelor in both Analytics & Information Management and German Studies at the University of Connecticut through the prestigious EUROBIZ Program. Guerlina was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, through which she was able to do her foreign exchange year in Germany. She is proficient in both Haitian Creole and German.
Joshua Pinckney is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University where he was a varsity tennis student-athlete. Joshua graduated Phi Beta Kappa with majors in International Relations & Politics and Hispanic Studies, and a minor in Sociology. During his time at CMU, he published a critical analysis of decision-making processes in two of the World Health Organization’s immunization programs. After working with healthcare and higher education clients as an analyst in the Tech Strategy practice at Accenture for two years, Joshua was awarded a Fulbright ETA (English Teaching Assistant) grant to Madrid, Spain where he taught at the university level. He will attend The Fletcher School at Tufts University in the MALD program. Joshua has traveled to Argentina, Guatemala, Israel, Kenya, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, and the UK. He is fluent in Spanish.
Ryland Pitts was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, but lived the first seventeen years of his life in Minsk, Belarus, and Budapest, Hungary, before attending Davidson College in North Carolina. A Chidsey Leadership Fellow, Ryland earned a double major in political science and Russian studies with honors. Ryland interned in the Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and studied abroad with Middlebury College in Moscow, Russia, where he studied Russian and worked as a research assistant at Transparency International. Since graduating from college, Ryland has spent two years teaching English in Central Asia, including as a current Fulbright ETA in Uzbekistan. Ryland occasionally volunteers for a global parachurch organization, traveling to countries including Ukraine, Turkey, and Spain to work with youth from around the world living outside their passport country. He speaks Russian and is currently studying Uzbek.
Michaiah Pompey-Augustine was raised in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently studying at Bucknell University and is double majoring in French and Francophone Studies and International Relations with a concentration in Eurasian Studies. She studied abroad in France, where she discovered her passion for building foreign relations with Afro-French and African American communities as a Gilman Scholar. She later studied sustainable development and climate change redress in Costa Rica in 2023. She is a member of Cohort 10 with the United States Foreign Service Internship. Michaiah is very interested in language acquisition and is currently learning Korean. One interesting fact about her is she writes for a news column chronicling the events of the Civil Rights Movement at her campus Cultural Institute for the Study of Black Lives and Culture. She is fluent in French.
Jenna Prunty is a senior at Florida State University majoring in International Affairs with a minor in Arabic and certificates in Global Citizenship and Intelligence. She is interning as a Cultural Ambassador to Pakistan through the Department of State VSFS program and was a scholar in the 2023 Rangel Summer Enrichment Program. Jenna received the outstanding Arabic Scholar Award at Florida State for the past three academic years. Jenna completed the Virtual Tabadul Language Exchange Program, working with a college student in Algeria. She studied abroad in London and was President of the FSU Poetry Club. Jenna is passionate about community service and volunteering with community organizations in her hometown of Evergreen, Colorado. She plans to use the Pickering Fellowship program to prepare for a career at the U.S. Department of State on the Political Track. Her languages include Spanish and French.
Nikidrea Rey works as a Foreign Affairs Specialist within the Department of Defense, and she is interested in the relationship between microeconomic trends and USG international cooperation outcomes. She obtained her undergraduate degree in International Studies from Chaminade University of Honolulu and received a Master of Arts in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Nikidrea interned in the Department of State’s Political-Military Affairs Bureau and in the Executive Office at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia. She is an alum of the 2019 Critical Language Scholarship Program in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and she studied Energy Politics in Eurasia at European University in Saint Petersburg, Russia as a Foreign Language and Area Studies Academic Year Graduate Fellow. Nikidrea is an Army combat veteran, having supported Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013. Her languages include Spanish, Russian, and Mandarin.
Morgan Richardson is a proud native of Birmingham, Alabama. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a double minor in African American Studies and Spanish for Business. As a student, she interned for Urban Impact Birmingham, a local non-profit devoted to advancing economic development in Birmingham’s Historic Civil Rights District. She later served as their Community Outreach Coordinator. After completing her undergraduate degree, she spent two years in Madrid, Spain as an English Teaching Assistant with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). After working abroad, she decided to pivot from economic development to pursue a graduate degree in International Affairs. Morgan is passionate about human rights and restorative justice and is proficient in Spanish.
Tristin Schultz is from Pasco, Washington. He graduated from Seattle University, where he studied International Relations and Economics focused on the Korean Peninsula s political economy and North Korea’s human rights violations. He has interned at the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, where he researched the North Korean informal economy and the security-human rights nexus, and with the U.S. Embassy in the Marshall Islands. In 2019, Tristin studied abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea as a David L. Boren Scholar and currently teaches at a middle school in Masan, South Korea as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. His languages include Korean and Spanish.
Trinity Shaya was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a first-generation Iraqi American. She was a Darwin T. Turner Scholar at the University of Cincinnati where she graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Criminal Justice and Fine Arts. Post-graduation, Trinity interned abroad at Caritas Cyprus, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting migrants, asylum-seekers, and refugees. She currently serves as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia under the Community Health Empowerment Project. She has working proficiency in Kiikaonde, one of Zambia’s 72 local languages. Trinity plans to study Human Rights in graduate school to gain a deeper understanding of migration and human trafficking.
Imhotep Simba was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated Cum Laude from Coppin State University (A Historically Black College and University) in the spring of 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies. Imhotep is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served as an Urban Youth Development Volunteer in Ecuador. His US Foreign Policy interests align with: Human Rights and Democracy Economic Prosperity and Trade Treaties and International Agreements Anti-Corruption and Transparency Foreign Assistance Imhotep is proficient in Spanish and introductory French and Portuguese. Most recently, Imhotep worked as a Program Officer with the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Justice Strategy Group, stewarding investments associated with youth engagement of justice-impacted youth/young adults with a focus on diverting and preventing recidivism. Previously, Imhotep supported the implementation of the USAID Feed the Future Zambia Seed Trade Project and USAID Uganda Feed the Future Inclusive Agricultural Markets Activity. Prior to engaging in public service, both nationally and internationally, Imhotep credits his passion for service due to being a direct investment of community member’s public service in West Baltimore, which catalyzed his roots within civic engagement.
Cimrun Srivastava graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a major in Middle East Regional Studies and a minor in Arabic. She is interested in conflict resolution, post-conflict political development, and women and youth empowerment in governance. She has experience working in democracy development at the National Democratic Institute, as well as internship experience with human rights policy and peace-building work. She can read, write, and speak Arabic and Hindi with an elementary proficiency level.
Ryan St. Jean, originally from New York City, is currently a senior at Syracuse University, where he studies international relations with concentrations in international security and Europe. His interests include conflict resolution, arms control, and the promotion of citizen diplomacy. He also has a deep interest in Europe, specifically U.S.-NATO relations. He is proficient in French.
Delanya Storey was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. Delanya completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, where she concentrated in Government with a secondary Philosophy and a Spanish citation. She was a representative for the Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa at the United Nations Economic and Social Council. As an undergraduate, Delanya was a Lead for America Undergraduate Summer Fellow at the City of Birmingham’s Office of Innovation and Economic Opportunity supporting workforce development initiatives for high school students in Birmingham City Schools. Through her work at Dalberg Global Development Advisors, Delanya has supported international development engagements in the areas of entrepreneurship, maternal health, agri-finance, climate, energy, and government accountability. Delanya has a continuing interest in exploring how transitional and restorative justice tools can address historical injustice and atrocity in the global community. She is proficient in Spanish.
Jennifer Suh was born in South Korea and raised in Guam. She graduated from University of Rochester in May 2019 with a major in International Relations and minors in Economics and Chinese. Jennifer interned at a U.S. intelligence agency during college and served as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Air Force upon graduation. She served most of her military career overseas in South Korea and Italy, where she had numerous opportunities to engage in host-nation relations. Through her international experience, Jennifer realized her passion for diplomacy and understanding complex global affairs. She hopes to draw upon her experiences and learn more about diplomacy, international security, and East Asia through her graduate studies. Jennifer’s languages include Spanish, Chinese, and Korean.
Munahil Sultana will receive her Bachelor’s in Government and International Studies with a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Franklin and Marshall College. She interned with the U.S. Department of Interior, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. House of Representatives with Congressman André Carson, and the U.S. Department of State. Additionally, she is an alumnus of the International Leadership Foundation Scholarship (ILF), Conference on Asian-Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), Alexander Hamilton Scholarship, and Islamic Scholarship Fund. Muna studied abroad in Amman, Jordan as a U.S. Department of State Gilman Scholar, and U.S. Department of Defense Boren Scholar where she focused on the geopolitics of the Middle East. She worked in the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, UAE as part of the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program (USFSIP) and completed her summer voyage as an inaugural Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholar. Muna’s languages include Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, and Arabic.
Mira Tarabeine is a graduate of Critical Theory & Social Justice from Occidental College. She believes that international stability is a process towards equity, justice, and agency, rooted in inclusive diplomacy. Since graduating, Mira has been working on addressing the international refugee crisis on a local scale by focusing on workforce reintegration. Mira managed a program that streamlines connections between local employers and job candidates, placing over 107 underrepresented participants in sustainable jobs. She also developed and implemented strategic initiatives to forge and sustain impactful partnerships with key stakeholders, fostering collaborative efforts and driving economic growth. Mira is passionate about creating equal opportunities for displaced populations and cultivating interdependent communities that disrupt inequity and foster economic, social, and political mobility. Mira speaks English, Arabic, and French.
Feben Teshome is a second-generation Ethiopian American raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She will graduate from International Affairs and African Studies at the University of Georgia. Feben has worked with NGOs focusing on legal aid and international education development. She has also studied abroad in the UK and volunteered/worked in the NGO sphere in East Africa. Currently, Feben is interning with the U.S. Department of State’s STAS Office, researching STEM education upskilling across Africa. Additionally, she is interning with the Mayor of Atlanta’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs, focusing on city diplomacy. Feben plans to pursue graduate studies in international economics and continue language courses in Hebrew. She is currently training for a half marathon, enjoys learning new instruments, and trying new cuisines.
Lam Tran was born and raised in Vietnam and moved to the United States at 16. She studied Political Science, China Studies, and English Literature at Franklin and Marshall College. Previously, she worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Reischauer Center at Johns Hopkins SAIS, and Congressional Research Services. Her languages include Vietnamese, Mandarin, Korean, and Japanese.
Giselle Valdes moved to the United States from Cuba at the of 13. At Miami Dade Honors College, she became the editor-in-chief of the award-winning Literary and Arts Magazine, Urbana, which also holds her published work. Under her leadership and creative vision, the podcast, Urbanites, emerged while also producing the song “Sin Limites,” meant to forge unity through artistry. She had the opportunity to apprentice with Judge Milian at the 11th Circuit Courthouse, where she strengthened her passion for contributing to social equity, advocating for inclusive governance, and championing for the protection of human rights. She then transferred to George Washington University as a first-generation student, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Law and Society. Giselle is fluent in Spanish.
Issa Yaya was born in Togo and raised in Accra, Ghana. She graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in Media, Culture and Communications as a Community College Transfer Opportunity Program scholarship recipient from CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College and was the first chairperson for Diversity Equity & Inclusion for the Undergraduate Student Government. She plans to study International Relations with a focus on Diplomacy & Development in graduate school. Issa is also a fourth-generation writer and hopes to publish her works someday. Issa’s languages include Tchamba, Hausa, Akan-Twi, Ga, Spanish, French, and Arabic.
Leona Yeager is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and graduated summa cum laude with degrees in international and interdisciplinary studies from the University of Alabama. Since undergrad, she has worked in South Korea teaching English and, most recently, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at the University of Internal Affairs. Leona values community service and has involved herself with fostering intercultural connections, which she has done volunteering in healthcare in Cusco, Peru, teaching English as a second language to international visitors in her hometown, doing music therapy in Thailand, and volunteering at a local NGO in Ulaanbaatar, which provides humanitarian assistance for some of the city’s most vulnerable. Her languages include English, Thai, Spanish, Korean, and Mongolian, and Chinese.
Aaron Yost is originally from Holland, Michigan. He currently lives in Washington, DC where he works as a foreign policy fellow at the House of Representatives. Last spring, Aaron graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa where he majored in political science. While in college, he interned for the Council on Foreign Relations, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and the Department of State’s Office of Foreign Missions. Aaron also studied abroad in London and in Jordan as a Gilman Scholar. He currently lives as one of the few Americans at the International Student House in DC, and he enjoys exploring the city with friends from all around the world.
2023 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellowship Program Snapshots
On December 09, the 2023 Pickering Fellowship selection panel chose 45 2023 Pickering Fellows. The selection panel was extremely impressed by the new fellows’ experiences, leadership, and commitment to a Foreign Service career. The program received 602 applications, and the selection process was highly competitive.
Martha Aguirre was born and raised in Chicago and is a first-generation graduate student. She graduated summa cum laude from Illinois Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Hispanic Studies and Secondary Education. Martha was awarded the Luis Leal Endowed Scholarship to carry out Hispanic Studies research while studying comparative education in Santiago, Chile. She joined the Peace Corps, where she served as an English education volunteer in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Martha currently works as a World Language Spanish teacher in Chicago Public Schools. She is proficient in Spanish.
Windila Balbone was born and raised in Burkina Faso and moved to the United States at 17. She studied French and International Studies at the @sunypotsdam. She worked with the International Rescue Committee helping refugee students and families adapt to American culture. Windila worked as a U.N.-endorsed dialogue facilitator with SOLIYA international cross-cultural program and interned with the Eurasia Center Research on Child Slavery. She worked as Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace fellow with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). Windila is fluent in English, French, and Moore and is learning German and Spanish.
Payton Beaumier is from Sioux City, Iowa. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in International Affairs with concentrations in security policy and conflict resolution from the George Washington University. Payton participated in the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program and interned with the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru focusing on international narcotics and law enforcement affairs. She has completed internships at the White House with the Gender Policy Council, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Payton studied French in college.
Janika Berridge is originally from the Commonwealth of Dominica; she was raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. Janika received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), where she later worked as an admissions counselor focusing on first-year recruitment. She was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Indonesia and now serves the U.S. Student Program as a 2023 Alumni Ambassador. Janika currently supports the Department of State’s BridgeUSA office in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as a Junior Program Officer. Her languages include Spanish and Indonesian.
LaVontae Brooks was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Consumer Economics with a concentration in Public Policy and Law. He has traveled to Dominican Republic, Benin, France, and Japan to learn about their economic systems and cultures. LaVontae currently works in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to that, he worked in the U.S. Senate for more than two years. LaVontae is proficient in French.
Isabel Brum was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She completed her undergraduate studies at Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied Cognitive Neurosciences with an additional major in Ethics, History, and Public Policy. She completed an internship in Kisumu, Kenya, as part of the Public Health in the Tropics program with the School of International Training (SIT). Isabel was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. She is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Italian and Swahili.
Paolo Caglioti was born in Manhattan and raised in Long Island, NY. He graduated from Franklin and Marshall College, where he earned his degree in Anthropology. While studying abroad in Senegal and Greece, Paolo developed an interest in conducting ethnographic research in political spaces. In Greece, he conducted a project on the Athenian anarchist scene. For his thesis, he conducted an ethnography on outrage, venting, and permissive discourse on an online political forum during the height of the pandemic and the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election. His languages include English, French, Spanish, and Greek.
Maurquan Crawford (Quan) is originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina, and he was raised in Leesburg, Virginia. Quan graduated from George Mason University with a bachelor’s degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in Global Governance. He interned with the U.S. Department of State’s U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program as a Political/Economic and Public Affairs intern at the U.S. Consulate General in Recife, Brazil. Quan worked in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Office of Overseas Citizen Services and currently works as a Program/Administrative Assistant in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Office of Brazil and the Southern Cone. His languages include Spanish and Portuguese.
Alessandra Del Rosario was born in the Philippines and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a first-generation college student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in History. Alessandra was a Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) fellow at the University of Michigan. She interned for the United States Department of State in the Bureau of Counterterrorism as a participant in the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program (USFSIP). Her languages include French, Tagalog, and Spanish.
Alexandra DeWeese grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her first major international experience was as a Rotary Youth Exchange student in the Netherlands at 17 years old. She majored in International Relations and Political Science as an undergraduate at Wellesley College. She spent her senior year of college studying abroad at Sciences Po Aix in the south of France. Some of her prior work experience includes interning at the U.S. Department of State and working as an Associate at the nonprofit organization, Keseb. She is proficient in Dutch and French.
Fadumo Diriye is from Seattle, Washington. She graduated from the University of Washington Tacoma, majoring in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a concentration in International Studies. Fadumo served two years with AmeriCorps in Seattle, where she supported the growth and success of students in the Seattle school district. Fadumo studied at Yonsei University in South Korea as a Benjamin A Gilman scholar. Her languages include Somali and Korean.
Kevin Drahos was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He completed his studies at the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s in political science. He is an alumnus of the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program at the Department of State. He served in the Office of the Chief of Protocol, Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs, and at U.S. Consulate General Cape Town. Currently, Kevin works in the Front Office of the Global Engagement Center at the U.S. Department of State, where he supports efforts to expose and counter foreign propaganda. He is proficient in Spanish.
Megan Everts is from Murrieta, California. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and East Asian area studies. Currently, she works at the Aspen Institute with the Stevens Initiative and has worked as an English Teaching Assistant in South Korea with the Fulbright Program. Megan interned for Come on Out – Japan and Taught North Korean Refugees. She interned with the Congressional Relations office at the Wilson Center and obtained a virtual internship with the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul. Her languages include French, Korean, and Japanese.
Collin Frank is a native of Carefree, Arizona. He holds dual degrees in global studies and Russian from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. Collin currently works as a public policy analyst while completing his master’s degree in political science. He has interned with the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, EducationUSA, and Index on Censorship. Collin has also served as a research fellow for New America’s Center on the Future of War. He was later selected for a Department of State Title VIII Fellowship to study Russian in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. His languages include Russian and Serbo-Croatian.
Trinisa Fung is from Houston, Texas, and she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Grinnell College. She is an alumna of American University’s Washington Semester Program, the Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) internship program, and the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program (USFSIP). Trinisa has participated in Harvard Kennedy School’s Public Policy and Leadership Conference (PPLC) and PPIA Public Service Weekend through Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. Trinisa is proficient in Chinese Cantonese and Mandarin and is studying Spanish.
Daniel Gebrekidan was born in Anaheim, California, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, where he graduated from Emory University with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and a minor in Economics. At Emory, Daniel worked as a teaching assistant for courses that focused on the political economy of violence. In addition, he has interned as a legal assistant at an immigration law firm, interacting with refugees to help them with their relocation and asylum application processes. He currently works as a Management Analyst for Rios Partners. Daniel is fluent in English and Tigrinya and is proficient in French and Arabic.
Beza Gebremariam is a second-generation Ethiopian American raised in Aurora, Colorado. She graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and African Studies. Beza has worked at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), covering Western Hemisphere assistance. Before her time at PRM, Beza participated in the United States Foreign Service Internship Program, where she interned for the Office of Western African Affairs and the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Office of Economic Policy.
Michael Henry is originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina. He will obtain his degree in Political Science from Morehouse College. Michael has traveled to Jamaica, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, and France. He plans to study Peace Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in graduate school.
Pamela Hernandez is a first-generation Mexican American student from West Orange, New Jersey. She graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University-New Brunswick with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies. During her undergraduate studies, she was a fellow at the Institute for Women’s Leadership and the Eagleton Institute of Politics. She interned at organizations such as the Center for American Women and Politics and the New Jersey Department of Education. Post-graduation, Pamela worked for the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy as an Operations Coordinator in the New York office. Her languages include Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Mandarin.
Kimberly Kazdal is a first-generation college student from Long Island. She graduated from CUNY Baruch College. She has worked and interned at NGOs, the State Department, the U.N. Global Compact, and the Ford Foundation. She was awarded a Fulbright grant in Mexico City and works at Jobs for the Future. Her languages include Spanish, French, and Turkish.
Markal Kelly was born in Miami, Florida, and grew up in Broward County. He is a Morehouse College senior studying international studies and Portuguese. He has worked at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Office of Economic and Regional Affairs in the Bureau of African Affairs. He is currently working with Global Ties and Global Atlanta. Markal received the Gilman Scholarship, the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange Scholarship, the USFSIP, and the Charles B. Rangel SEP Scholarship. He is a Panda Cares Scholar, an Oprah Winfrey Scholar, and an Exchange Alumni Ambassador.
Katherine Kikta (Grace) is a Ukrainian-American originally from Plano, Texas. Katherine will graduate from Northeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in international business. Katherine has studied abroad at Nanyang Technological University as a Gilman and Critical Language Scholar and at CIEE Study Abroad London. In addition, she has worked as an undergraduate researcher for Northeastern University and Yale University on various global topics pertaining to migration, humanitarian crises, and infectious diseases. Her languages include Spanish, Mandarin, Russian and Ukrainian.
Oumar Kouraogo was born on the Ivory Coast and raised in Burkina Faso. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University, where he double majored in diplomacy and economics. He interned for Caritas International at the United Nations. Oumar cofounded Global Emergency Response and Assistance, a non-profit that protects human rights and restores the dignity, well-being, and safety of those affected by conflicts. He has since worked for the U.S. Department of State, first in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and currently in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Oumar is fluent in Dyula, English, French, and Moore and has studied Arabic.
Michelle Lee is from Dallas, Texas; she will complete her degree in International Relations and Economics at Wellesley College. She has participated in the London program of the School for Ethics and Global Leadership and the Overseas Korean Foundation. Her past work experience includes interning for Artis Ventures and Lumen, an NGO that promotes information freedom for all, and government organizations such as USAID/RDMA Thailand, the United States House of Representatives, and the United States Department of State. Her languages include Korean and Mandarin.
Gerlin Leu is a Chinese American immigrant raised in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Bowdoin College as a QuestBridge Scholar with an Asian Studies major. As a recipient of the Freeman-Asia Scholarship, U.S.-Japan Bridging Scholarship, Gilman Scholarship, and U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship, she studied and researched Japan, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. Following graduation, Gerlin joined the JET Programme and served as a Coordinator for International Relations in Japan. Gerlin returned to higher education, aspiring to increase access to education for first-generation and low-income students. She is proficient in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Bahasa Indonesia.
Dexter Maryland is originally from Houston, Texas. He will graduate with a degree in Political Science from Texas Southern University. Dexter has interned with the Congressional Black Caucus, The Democratic National Committee, Pearson’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department, and Harris County’s 180th Criminal District Court. He also interned with Judge Lina Hildago’s campaign; he served as a White House HBCU Scholar representing Texas Southern University and the Student Government Association President. Dexter also serves as a lead student researcher for the TSU L.E.A.P program on behalf of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs.
Kristina Mason is from Dayton, Nevada. She is a first-generation graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, with a degree in International Affairs. She is an alumna of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange and the Gilman Scholarship, which resulted in an exchange year in Germany and a semester abroad in Ghana, respectively. She has experience in government through an internship for a U.S. Senator on their Foreign Relations committee. Kristina currently lives in Mwanza, Tanzania, where she interns at a Renewable Energy company developing the fishing industry of Lake Victoria. Her languages include German and Swahili.
Jasmine Mitchell was born and raised in Northern Virginia. She earned an Honors Bachelor’s Degree in East Asian Studies with a concentration in international affairs from Oberlin College. Jasmine interned at the U.S. Department of State, the Washington International Trade Association, and the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment. Jasmine was also a two-time recipient of the Critical Language Scholarship for Japanese language study. She is currently an Oberlin Shansi Japan Fellow at J.F. Oberlin University in Tokyo and is proficient in Japanese.
Brittney Nadler is from Chicago, Ill. She attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she obtained degrees in Spanish and Global Studies with a focus on Human Rights. Brittney has traveled to more than 30 countries, including Thailand as a Fulbright English teacher, Sierra Leone with the Peace Corps, Panama as a Community Outreach and Education Intern, Spain through a study abroad program, and Jordan, where she researched access to education for Syrian and Palestinian refugees. Brittney worked as a Brownfields Project Manager for the US Environmental Protection Agency. Her languages include Spanish, French, Thai, Krio, and Mende.
Maxwell Norteman is from North Attleborough, Massachusetts. He graduated with Honors from Trinity College with degrees in Human Rights Studies and Political Science. At Trinity College, he has served as a Teaching Assistant, organized house-building operations for Habitat for Humanity, and supervised community service projects for the Center for Hartford Engagement and Research. He has conducted research at the Yale School of Public Health, Center for Urban and Global Studies, and Trinity College’s Department of Human Rights. Maxwell is a VSFS intern at the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomacy, Human Rights, and Labor. He is proficient in Spanish and studies Armenian.
Mabel Proenza was born in Cuba and lives in Tampa, Florida. She earned BAs from the University of South Florida in International Studies and World Languages and Cultures. She studied abroad in Beijing, China, as a Gilman Scholar and with the Freeman-Asia scholarship. Mabel interned at the USFSIP in the EAP Press Office and then with the US Embassy in the Philippines Information Office. She returned to China as a Boren Scholar. She traveled to Gran Canaria, Spain, to teach English as a Fulbright ETA. Mabel is currently working as an Adult ESOL instructor at Brewster Technical College in Florida. Her languages include Spanish, French and, Mandarin, Chinese.
Karmel Reeves is from the west side of Detroit, Michigan; she graduated from Dillard University with a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies & Public Policy. She participated in the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Leadership Institute, was named a White House Initiative on HBCUs Competitiveness Scholar, a Boren Fellow in the Africa Flagship Language Initiative to Mozambique, and an alumnus of the Inaugural class of Ambassador Larry Palmer Envoy program. Karmel interned for the USDA’s Civil Rights Department, The U.S. Department of Transportation Civil Rights Department, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, and the USAID’s Latin American and Caribbean Bureau through the Virtual Foreign Service program. Her languages include English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Kennedy Reid is from Greensboro, North Carolina. She will graduate from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University with a degree in Economics with a Law concentration. Kennedy is a Cheatham-White Scholar, and during her time at A&T, she founded the Cheatham-White mentorship program, served as President of the University Honors College, and President of 100 Collegiate Women. She participated in the Rangel Summer Enrichment Program, served as an intern for U.S. Congressman Mark Walker (NC), was a Human Resources intern at Procter & Gamble, and is currently Vice President of Campus Outreach for the UNC Association of Student Governments. Her languages include Spanish and French.
Isabelle Santiago-Vega is a Nicaraguan American born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She will complete her studies at Seton Hall University with degrees in Diplomacy and International Relations, Philosophy, and Italian. She is also a member of her university’s Honors Program, where she studies Eastern, Western, and Islamic politics, philosophy, religion, and culture. As an undergraduate student, Isabelle worked with the U.S. Census Bureau and interned at the U.S. Department of State at Costa Rica and Panama embassies. Her languages include Spanish and Italian.
Anna Schaeffer was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She obtained a degree in International Political Economy, History, and Criminology from the University of Texas at Dallas. She is a recipient of the Eugene McDermott Scholarship and the PPIA Fellowship. She studied and worked abroad as an undergraduate in South Korea, England, and Morocco. Anna interned for The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., as a Bill Archer Fellow and interned with the Department of State’s Office of the Judicial Liaison and the International Rescue Committee. Anna most recently spent a year studying French in Evian-les-Bains, France. She is proficient in French.
Angie Sohn is a first-generation student from Fairfax, Virginia, and will graduate from Colby College with a bachelor’s in Government and a minor in East Asian Studies. She has interned at the Wilson Center’s Asia Program, USAID’s Bureau for Management, and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. In the past, Angie has studied abroad at Korea University as a Gilman Scholar, worked at a school in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, volunteered with NGOs in Costa Rica, and participated in a program in Hiroshima, Japan. Her languages include Korean, Spanish, Mandarin, and Japanese.
Naz Subah is a first-generation Bengali American student , born in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She attended Boston College as a recipient of the Chief Executives’ Club of Boston scholarship. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with minors in International Studies and Philosophy. Naz worked in the private sector for five years in management consulting and strategic planning before pivoting to foreign affairs. She currently works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. Naz is fluent in Bangla and English and proficient in Spanish.
Tamera Sullivan was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She graduated from the University of South Carolina’s Honors College with a bachelor’s in chemistry and a minor in Spanish. During her undergraduate career, Tamera studied abroad in Costa Rica. After graduating from USC, Tamera received a Fulbright grant to study at National Taiwan University, where she obtained a master’s degree in global health. Through a CDC fellowship, she works in North Carolina as a Public Health Associate at Cabarrus Health Alliance, focusing on social determinants of health and health equity projects. Her languages include Spanish and Mandarin.
Mauricio Tellez-Sanchez was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He will graduate from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. Mauricio has traveled to the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Luxembourg as part of a Stanford student delegation to the European Union. He will return to the United Kingdom this winter, where he plans to finish his senior capstone project while working under a mentor at Oxford University. His languages include Spanish and English.
Brad Toney is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama; he earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University and his master’s degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Brad’s career in public service has seen him serve as an AmeriCorps Volunteer, a congressional intern, and a higher education professional. Brad is proficient in Arabic, Japanese, and Spanish.
Eduardo Torres is from Laredo, Texas. He will graduate from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics. Eduardo has researched border security issues, evidenced by his work in Congress with the House Committee on Homeland Security. Further, he interned with the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute, where he worked on modernizing Spanish language courses taught to Foreign Service Officers. Eduardo is proficient in Spanish and Portuguese.
2022 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellowship Program Snapshots
On November 17, the 2022 Pickering Fellowship selection panel chose 45 2022 Pickering Fellows. The selection panel was extremely impressed by the new fellows’ experiences, leadership, and commitment to a Foreign Service career. The program received 535 applications, and the selection process was highly competitive.
Ben Anderson is from Louisville, Kentucky, and obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville, where he studied political science. Ben earned a Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) Fellowship with Carnegie Mellon. In addition, Ben completed a Critical Language Scholarship in Suzhou, China, and spent time in Taiwan as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. He is proficient in Chinese.
Irla Atanda is originally from Jacksonville, Florida. Irla graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies with a minor in international development Studies. Irla studied abroad at the University of Cape Town as a Gilman Scholar and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and received a Boren Scholarship for Brazil. She currently works at Refugees International as the Special Assistant to the organization’s president. She is proficient in Spanish.
Amber Bryan was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She attended the University of Notre Dame, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a certificate in international business. During her undergraduate career, Amber studied abroad in Brazil and Ireland. She has experience in government and corporate management and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is proficient in Portuguese.
Rachelly Buzzi was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and lived in Hollywood, Florida. She is a first-generation student completing her undergraduate studies at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School in international relations, concentrating on Latin America and entrepreneurship. Rachelly is a Posse Scholar and Carnegie Mellon PPIA alum.
Emily Carll was born in Rochester, New York, and raised in Conesus. Her studies took her to Stony Brook University, where she majored in Political Science and Asian and Asian-American Studies. During her undergraduate career, Emily was selected for the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program and interned at the Department of State in Washington D.C. and abroad at the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. She was also selected as a Critical Language Scholar in 2020. Emily is currently a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Belgrade, Serbia. She speaks Slovak, Russian, French, and Hindi.
Arshelle Carter is originally from Bridgeport, Connecticut. She attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where she graduated with a dual degree in Business Management and International Studies. Arshelle studied abroad in Mexico, Spain, and Qatar during her undergraduate career. She also interned for the U.S. Embassy in Suriname. Arshelle received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant to Indonesia. After her service, she coordinated the program for two years. Through her experiences, she developed an appreciation for international education and exchange. Currently, she coordinates the TechGirls program, a Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs initiative. Her languages include Indonesian and Spanish.
Diana Chavez-Varela graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a B.A. in Political Economy. She conducted casework for recently resettled refugees at the International Rescue Committee and managed a team of more than thirty undergraduate researchers at Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Center. She completed a global internship abroad while studying at the University of Hong Kong and was awarded a fully funded scholarship for an immersive educational trip in the Middle East. She received a nuanced understanding of the region’s complexities. She is proficient in Spanish and French.
Lauren Choi is originally from Tacoma, Washington but grew up in Daejeon, South Korea. She graduated from New York University with degrees in public policy and global liberal studies. She studied abroad in Shanghai during her undergraduate career and interned with UNHCR Korea. Following graduation, Lauren served two years with AmeriCorps, a year with the New York City Department of Education, and another year with the City of Tacoma’s Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability. Her languages include Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese.
Brenda Coromina is originally from Miami, Florida. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and the Honors College at Miami Dade College. Brenda obtained her B.S in Foreign Service, a concentration in International History, and a certificate in Religion, Ethics, and World Affairs. As an undergraduate student, she interned at the U.S. House of Representatives, the International Rescue Committee, the Immigrant Resource Center, and the U.S. Embassy in Tunis. In addition, Brenda facilitated creative programming events virtually. She is currently a Princeton in Africa Fellow with the International Livestock Research Institute.
Jaleah Cullors is from Overland Park, Kansas. At the University of Kansas, she obtained bachelor’s degrees in global and international studies and political science, with minors in intelligence and national security studies, Middle East studies, and Spanish. She was a member of the Global Scholars Program, the Honors Program, and the McNair Scholars Program. Jaleah was also an Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence Scholar and a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow. In addition, she interned with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Tima Dasouki is a Syrian American born in Pennsylvania and raised in Florida. She will graduate from Boston University in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and Middle East and North Africa Studies. Tima is an alumna of the Boren, Critical Language, and Gilman Scholarships and interned with the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan this past summer. At Boston University, she founded the B.U. Career Closet- an initiative to provide free professional clothing to all students. Currently, she is a Middle East Studies intern at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her languages include Arabic, Turkish, French, and German.
Lelia Jo Dusthimer (“L.J.”) is from Mount Vernon, Ohio. She graduated from Kenyon College, where she studied international studies and Arabic. She has interned at the White House, and the U.S. Department of State studied in Morocco as a Gilman Scholar. She was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Malaysia and started a nonprofit initiative to improve women’s access to healthcare in Nepal. L.J. currently works as a Senior Analyst in Asset Management at Goldman Sachs. Her languages include Arabic, Hindi, and French.
Ciera Dykstra is a first-generation student from Alaska and grew up around the western United States. They completed their studies in international affairs and political science. Ciera has lived and studied in Senegal, Korea, and the United Arab Emirates, most recently representing the U.S. Department of State at the World EXPO 2020. Ciera has worked domestically with immigrants and survivors of abuse through Colorado Legal Services and nonprofit The Serenity Project. They are a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and Critical Language Scholarship. Ciera’s languages include French and Arabic.
Zantana Ephrem is from Las Vegas, Nevada, and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Economics and dual minors in Political Science and Philosophy: Law & Justice. She currently works as a Foreign Affairs Legislative Correspondent in the Senate. Previously, Zantana was a Policy Fellow at Foreign Policy for America and the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. She was a Rangel Scholar and earned a Boren Scholarship and Fellowship to Haifa and Amman. Zantana has studied, worked, and traveled throughout Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Her languages include Amharic, Tigrinya, and Arabic.
Narayan Felix is a native of Silver Spring, Maryland. He graduated summa cum laude from Temple University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in global studies emphasizing international security. Here, Narayan served as Vice President of the Society of Emerging African Leaders, traveled to South Africa for Temple’s inaugural inclusive leadership program, and was a Phi Beta Kappa national honor society member. In addition, he routinely engaged in youth development work in Philadelphia and interned for the U.S. African Development Foundation and The Africa Society in Washington D.C. Narayan is proficient in French.
Desmond A. Ferrell was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in Southaven, Mississippi. He graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in foreign service. Desmond interned on Capitol Hill during his undergraduate studies in the Senate and House. After graduation, Desmond taught German at the University of Missouri (Mizzou), earning an M.A. in German Studies. Desmond served as a Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Fellow in Cologne, Germany. After earning his M.A. from Mizzou, Desmond began teaching English in Germany at the University of Marburg’s Language Center. He is proficient in German.
Nia Kamau is from Little Elm, Texas, and attended Southern Methodist University. She majored in human rights and international studies with minors in economics, public policy & international affairs, and Arabic. She served as the Student Trustee and a Human Rights Fellow at her university. She worked on economic empowerment for Ugandan trafficking survivors with The Market Project.
Shiru Kimani is a first-generation college student and Kenyan American. She was born in Castro Valley, California, and grew up in neighboring Hayward. She is a senior at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. She majors in international economics, Arabic, and French with a minor in statistics. She received honors like Dean’s list, Outstanding First-Year Student, and Omicron Delta Kappa. She completed an internship at J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank as a Wealth Management summer analyst. Shiru is completing her study abroad in Toulouse, France, for her last semester of undergraduate study.
Elisabeth Miller is from Seattle, WA, and was born in Germany. She graduated from Lewis & Clark College with degrees in French studies and psychology. She spent a summer teaching English in Ladakh, India, as an undergraduate. She studied for a semester in Paris, France, and interned with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism as a Council of American Ambassadors Fellow. Currently, Elisabeth works with Corps Africa in Rabat, Morocco, helping manage a volunteer program for Africans modeled on the Peace Corps. She is proficient in French and Darija.
Chris Murphy was born in Sylvania, Ohio, and raised in Monroe, Michigan. He holds a bachelor’s in Chinese from Michigan State University and a Master of Law in China Studies from the Yenching Academy of Peking University. In addition, Chris received the prestigious Gilman and Boren scholarships to study abroad in Harbin and Hangzhou, China. Chris is currently a French teacher in Munich, Germany, and his languages include French, Spanish, Mandarin, German, and Portuguese.
Nourhan Nasser was born and raised in Lebanon before moving to Orlando, Florida. During her gap year, she served as a Youth Ambassador in the Northeastern region of Brazil with Rotary Youth Exchange. She recently earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Central Florida, concentrating in comparative politics and international relations. In addition, Nourhan minored in Latin American Studies and earned a certificate in Intelligence and National Security. She is currently a mentor at the Catholic Charities Youth Refugee Program and is proficient in Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Monica Anne Eustaquio Orillo is from Phoenix, Arizona, and she is a member of the Filipino American community. In 2020, she graduated from Arizona State University with bachelor’s degrees in political science and German. She has lived in Germany through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program in the Philippines through the Boren Award. Her undergraduate experiences include interning for the State Department and Phoenix Sister Cities, conducting research on U.S.-Philippine relations, and teaching English as a foreign language. Currently, Monica is back in Germany as a Fulbright English Assistant. Her languages include Filipino and German.
Angel Orozco is originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado. He graduated from Arizona State University (ASU) with a B.A. in Business (Global Politics) and Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. During his time at university, Angel served in the Arizona Army National Guard as a Combat Engineer and interned for a congressional office. Additionally, Angel completed two years of Spanish study at ASU.
Carlos Outten is a first-generation Bahamian American from Stone Mountain, Georgia. He earned his B.A. from Morehouse College in theater and music. Carlos was an Oprah Winfrey Scholar and performed tours of service in South Africa and Zimbabwe. In 2019, Carlos earned the Verbal Commendation Indonesia’s Asia World United Nations Model. In addition, Carlos is a Teach America Elected Leadership fellow and a Policy Advisor Fellow for Leadership in Educational Equality. Carlos’s goal is to become a cultural affairs officer and help to promote U.S. cultural, economic, and technological advancements in foreign countries to obtain more sustainable and wholistic global environments.
Eni Owoeye is a first-generation Nigerian American born in Brooklyn, New York. Her familial roots and connections extend across the east coast of the United States. She is a senior at New York University studying international relations and environmental science with a minor in Spanish. Eni gained work experience at the United Nations Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of State. Her professional experience includes the countries of Nicaragua, Cuba, and the UAE. Her languages include Spanish and Yoruba.
Ibilola Owoyele is a Nigerian-American raised in Sacramento, California. She graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a B.S. in Culture and Politics and a minor in African Studies. During her undergraduate studies, Ibilola interned with the Political & Economic Bureau at the U.S. Embassy in Togo and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Africa Business Center in D.C. After graduating, she served as a Princeton-in-Africa Fellow at the African School of Economics, where she evaluated the impact of donor-funded programs. She is a Project Manager at Chemonics International, where her work in Francophone West Africa and Haiti focuses on rule-of-law.
Josh Pope is a first-generation student from Queens, New York, and a recent graduate of the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He received a degree in International Affairs, concentrating on international economics and security policy. Josh also studied Mandarin while abroad in Taipei, Taiwan. In addition, he interned for the South and Central Asia Bureau through the VSFS program at the Department of State and received the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship. He is currently the Director for the Onero Institute’s China Program and working on a New York State Senate campaign.
Michael Portillo was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Michael studied at National Taiwan University as a Gilman Scholar. Michael will graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in economics and a minor in statistics in May of 2022. His background is mainly in economic research. His topics include game theory, financial regulation, and income inequality. Michael is also an alum of the U.S. Department of State’s USFSIP program. In addition, he is proficient in traditional and simplified Mandarin Chinese.
Shanique Reid is a first-generation Jamaican American raised in Hartford, Connecticut. She graduated from the University of Hartford, where she studied Communications. Shanique studied at the University of Ghana, where Shanique conducted comparative research on post-colonial Pan African movements of the Caribbean and West Africa. She served as Global Ambassador for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Shanique currently works as the Public Policy and Advocacy Manager for Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. She is proficient in American Sign Language and Twi.
Betsabe Rojas Gonzalez is Mexican American originally from Texcaltitlan, Mexico. She is a Martin Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with double majors in economics and political science with a minor in statistics. Since 2019, Betsabe has worked with the grassroots immigrant rights organization Comunidad Colectiva. She has helped connect the immigrant communities in Charlotte to resources, such as COVID relief funds and vaccination drives. She participated in the 2020 Charles B. Rangel Summer Enrichment Program and served as a U.S. Foreign Service Intern. Her languages are English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Arthur Rodriguez was born in Morgan Hill, California, and graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in science, technology, and international affairs. Arthur works at an education technology company called Springboard and previously worked as a student analyst at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, served as a social entrepreneurship fellow with Agora Partnerships in Santiago, Chile, and interned with the State Department Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction. Additionally, Arthur studied political science as a Gilman Scholar at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, and participated in the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program. Arthur is proficient in Spanish.
Laura Romero is a Mexican American first-generation college graduate. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and earned a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, where she focused on transnational crime and development. Laura conducted forensic research of the Holocaust across Eastern Europe during her undergraduate career and interned for the French NGO Yahad-In Unum, advocating for genocide awareness. Laura also studied international business at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México on a Fulbright grant and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA. Her languages include Spanish, French, and Italian.
Maya Rosales is from Petaluma, California. She earned her bachelor’s degree with high distinction from the University of California at Berkeley. She was an FGLI student, a Leadership Award recipient, and a Gilman scholar. She is currently Brent Scowcroft Fellow at the Aspen Institute. She speaks Spanish and has interned for the U.N. High Commission on Refugees, the Council on Foreign Relations, U.S. Embassy Lima, California Rural Legal Assistance, the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Vice President Kamala Harris then-Senate office, and the State Department’s Bureau of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
Julio Salmeron-Perla was born in San Miguel, El Salvador, and raised in Washington, D.C., is a senior at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He studies International Politics with a concentration in International Law, Institutions, and Ethics. Julio studied abroad in Tours, France; he has worked at the intersection of foreign affairs and public policy, as evidenced through his professional work experiences at the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador and in Congress at the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Julio is proficient in Spanish and French.
Juan San Nicolas is from the village of Sinajana on the island of Guam. He graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a Political Science degree. Juan interned for the Guam Legislature under Senator Michael San Nicolas and did historical research projects for the Guam Preservation Trust. In addition, Juan did a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Gochang, South Korea, and is currently working in Seoul. He hopes to pursue opportunities that will allow him to research ways to improve the U.S.’s diplomatic efforts with Pacific Island Countries. Juan is proficient in Chamoru, Spanish, Korean, and Italian.
Donovan Satchell is from Dallas, Texas. He currently attends Texas Tech University, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies with minors in Arabic, English, History, Political Science, and Legal Studies. In 2020, Donovan interned for the Texas Diplomat in Residence with the U.S. Department of State. He provided direct assistance by cross-examining data for minority-serving institutions and creating national recruiting projects with Diplomats around the globe. Donovan has spent much time abroad in Europe and the Middle East. Most recently, he studied Arabic and Muslim civilization history in Jordan.
Tradgon Sexton is from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. While at VCU, he double majored in Foreign Language Studies and International Studies with concentrations in French and European History, respectively. Tradgon had the incredible opportunity to study abroad as a Boren Award recipient in Dakar, Senegal, as part of the African Flagship Languages Initiative. Upon graduation this past May, he began working as an English Teaching Assistant in Draguignan, France, as part of the Teaching Assistant Program in France, a cross-cultural partner program between the United States and the French Ministry of Education.
Nikita Shukla grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and attended Tufts University, majoring in international relations and economics. After graduating, she joined the Clinton Health Access Initiative as a global health workforce analytics associate. Nikita has held leadership positions in Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security, Women in Global Health, and The World Economic Forum Global Shapers LA. In addition, Nikita, a 2019 USA Head Delegate to the G7 Youth Summit in Paris, France, served as the 2020 Sherpa to the G7 Youth Summit on the COVID-19 response received the highest civilian honor from the New Jersey Senate. Her languages include Hindi and Spanish.
Winaly Simpson is a Nicaraguan American from Miami, Florida. She is a first-generation college student, graduating from American University this December with economics and international studies. Winaly interned for nonprofits, the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Senate and taught English abroad in Italy during her undergraduate career. She is a PPIA-Princeton alumna pursuing a graduate program that focuses on economic development. Her languages include Spanish and French.
Ivan Solomon was born in Livingston, New Jersey, and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina. He relocated to California to attend Pomona College. While there, his Arabic studies took him to Morocco as a Boren Scholar, and his broader interest in international relations led him to participate in exchange programs in Korea, China, and Croatia. After graduation, Ivan returned to Morocco as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, and currently, Ivan works for a tech-focused nonprofit.
Diana Sosa is originally from Centreville, Virginia, and is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she focused on Latin American studies and international development. Diana spent a semester in Ecuador during undergrad, participated in the United States Foreign Service Internship Program, conducted research on domestic workers, and interned for Senator Mark Warner. She taught English in Mallorca, Spain, and currently is interning at the nonprofit Verein Maiz and teaching English in Linz, Austria, through a Fulbright combined grant. She speaks Spanish, German, and Portuguese.
Katherine Torres hails from Gainesville, Georgia, where she studied political science at the University of North Georgia. While in college, Katherine Torres served as the Sophomore Class Representative, Global Engagement Peer Advisor, and a Newman Fellow. During her undergraduate career, she studied abroad in Ireland and Australia. Katherine earned a Fulbright ETA grant to teach English in Kinmen, Taiwan. She is a native Spanish speaker and currently studying elementary Mandarin in Taiwan.
Luz Velazquez is a first-generation Paraguayan American born and raised in Queens, New York. She is a recent graduate of Binghamton University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with minors in Immigration Studies and Latin American & Caribbean Area Studies. She currently serves as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in La Rioja, Spain, and an immigration researcher for Amnesty International. During her undergraduate career, Luz was a JFEW SUNY Global Affairs Scholar, Lideres Avanzando Fellow for UnidosUS, and a research intern for the Institute of International Education. Her languages include Spanish and Guarani.
Sophia Celeste Vos is originally from Boston and grew up in Massachusetts and Central Mexico. She earned an Honors B.A. in International Studies with a minor in Entrepreneurship from American University. After experiences in the Department of Commerce, Google, and Ashoka, Sophia pursued a Fulbright Scholarship in Mexico City. Sophia has since worked for U.S.-based start-ups and is now Co-Founder of Safar Street. Sophia is passionate about advancing human rights primarily related to migration and gender. Sophia has studied and worked in Mexico, Chile, Italy, Greece, Norway, and Cambodia. Her languages include Spanish, French, Italian, and beginner Arabic.
Vladyslav Wallace was born in Ukraine and raised in Plano, Texas. He graduated summa cum laude from The University of Texas at Dallas with a double-major in global business and international political economy. As a recipient of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth Scholarship, Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, and the David L. Boren Scholarship, Vlad has previously held positions at a variety of organizations: Youth for Understanding Eesti, Transparency International Latvia, the Department of State, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, EducationUSA Almaty, Battleground Texas, and most recently, CAF America. His languages include Ukrainian, French, Russian, and Estonian.
2021 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellowship Program Snapshots
On December 17, the 2021 Pickering Fellowship selection panel chose 45 2021 Pickering Fellows. The selection panel was extremely impressed by the new fellows’ experiences, leadership, and commitment to a Foreign Service career. The program received 1,301 applications, and the selection process was highly competitive.
David Aguilar III is a first-generation student from North County San Diego and a recent graduate of the University of California, San Diego. David majored in political science and sociology, concentrating in international relations and law and society. He was a member of the Sociology Honors Program, participated in the Research Apprenticeship Program and the Rangel Summer Enrichment Program, and a became member of the Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society. He is proficient in Spanish and Italian.
Robert Allen Jr. grew up in Fort Valley, Georgia, and attended LaGrange College where he majored in political science. After graduating, Robert joined the Peace Corps, where he served as an English Education Volunteer in Komrat, Moldova. Robert is pursuing a graduate program that allows him the flexibility to focus on several different concentrations of international affairs, preparing him to enter the Foreign Service. His languages include Spanish, Russian, and Romanian.
Kendra Alvizures, a native of small-town Mitchell, South Dakota, graduated magna cum laude from South Dakota State University with bachelor’s degrees in Spanish, global studies, and political science. As a research assistant, she studied the political impact of the type and level of education of national politicians in the Western hemisphere. Kendra will pursue further studies on the theory and efficacy of public diplomacy in preparation for her career as a Foreign Service Officer. She is proficient in Spanish.
Bukola Anifowoshe is a Nigerian-American immigrant raised in the Washington D.C. metro area. She graduated from Cornell University where she studied international development sociology and inequality studies. She has worked domestically and internationally with underserved primary schools in the United States and Ghana, refugee resettlement organizations in Egypt, and human rights advocates in India. After graduating from Cornell, she worked at Oxfam America on the Aid and Development Finance team. Her languages include French and Arabic.
Soham Basu is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2020. He interned with the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs and spent a year in India on the Boren Scholarship studying Hindi and Urdu and serving as a research assistant at the Center for Social and Economic Progress in New Delhi. He is proficient in Urdu, Hindi, Bangla, and French.
Ngenyi Beja grew up in Forest Lake, Minnesota and obtained her bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Northeastern University. As an undergraduate, she participated in a study abroad program to Israel centered on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and volunteered for a semester in Cambodia. Ngenyi was also the recipient of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Belgium. She is proficient in French.
Yabsera Bekele was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and currently resides in Greensboro, North Carolina. She graduated from Wake Forest University where she studied politics and international affairs with double minors in Middle East and South Asia studies and religious studies. Yabsera has held numerous leadership positions during her time as an undergraduate, including serving as a Global Ambassador, Vice President, and Community Service Chair of the African and Caribbean Student Association. She is proficient in Amharic, Spanish, and Arabic.
Khalil Bentley is from Chicago, Illinois and earned his bachelor’s degree in international studies from Denison University. Khalil has volunteered and worked for various organizations such as Trinity United Church of Christ’s Youth Church and Food Share ministries, West Virginia State University’s English as a Second Language program, and Denison University’s Paving-The-Way freshman pre-orientation program. Khalil has extensive cross-cultural experiences having studied and traveled abroad to Germany, England, and Cuba. Khalil’s languages include Mandarin, Spanish, and German.
Brianne Berry, a Jersey Shore native, graduated from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor’s degree in English and Latin American Studies in 2017. She studied abroad in Valparaiso, Chile and conducted research on social capital and youth development. After graduating, Brianne was a Fulbright Scholar in Madrid, Spain, teaching Model UN to Spanish teenagers. Brianne currently works as an Immigration Services Officer at U.S. Citizenship and Services. Her languages include Spanish and Portuguese.
Mary Bohn grew up in Tennessee and graduated from Emory University where she studied East Asian languages and cultures and global development. She is passionate about intercultural education and empowering at-risk communities and has had extensive experience in the education sector working as an educator, researcher, and program director at multiple non-profit organizations. She is a proud alumna of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship programs. Her languages include Korean, Mandarin, and French.
May Braverman was born in China, adopted to the United States, and raised in New York City. A graduate of Vanderbilt University with a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies, May recently spent two years abroad as a Critical Language Scholar in Taiwan and a Princeton-in-Asia Fellow in rural Xizhou, Yunnan, China. During her fellowship, May worked for the Linden Centre, a boutique hotel and cultural center, in the fields of education, marketing, and sustainable tourism. Her languages include Chinese and French.
Andrea Calderón is originally from Houston, Texas and obtained her degree in environmental science from St. Edward’s University. As an undergraduate, she served as a Congressional Intern with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Andrea’s other experiences include studying abroad in Italy, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Australia, presenting at the International Conference on Poverty and Sustainable Development in Sri Lanka, and attending the International Conference on Negative Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Sweden. She is proficient in Spanish and Italian.
Bella-Graciela Chavez is a recent graduate from the University of California, Berkeley where she double-majored in Latin American languages and cultures and comparative literature. During her undergraduate career, Bella-Graciela studied abroad in Brazil, Italy, Portugal, and Spain; and, also volunteered in Medellin, Colombia where she completed her education minor practicum. She is also a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Her languages include Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
Lilybeth Chavez was born and raised in Salinas, California. She will graduate from the University of California, Berkeley in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Italian studies and political science with a concentration in comparative politics. She has studied abroad in Trieste, Italy and was also an asylum intern for the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant. Her languages include Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
Maya Cotton, originally from San Luis Obispo, California, received her B.A. in religious studies from DePauw University. During her undergraduate career, she studied abroad in France and Morocco, and received the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to study in Thailand. Following graduation, she taught at the National School of Business and Management in Agadir, Morocco as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. Her languages include French, Spanish, and Darija.
Ariel Daniels is a native of Milledgeville, Georgia, and graduated summa cum laude from Mercer University with a double-major in political science and international affairs and a minor in French. Ariel received the Gilman Scholarship to study Arabic in Morocco in 2018. As a Pickering Fellow, Ariel hopes to pursue a joint MPA/MA in international relations. She is proficient in French and Arabic.
Chanel Diaz grew up on the Central Coast of California and is a proud daughter of Mexican immigrants. She graduated summa cum laude from Pepperdine University and earned her bachelor’s degree in international studies, with an emphasis in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) affairs. Chanel completed a Critical Language Scholarship for Arabic in Morocco and was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Morocco. Chanel is proficient in Spanish, Darija, and Modern Standard Arabic.
Lesley Ells is originally from the U.S. Virgin Islands but grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. She received her bachelor’s degree in global studies from Lesley University. During her undergraduate career, Lesley studied abroad in Hong Kong and Mexico and later participated in the USINDO Summer Studies Fellowship in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Currently, she serves as Assistant Director of Admissions at Lesley University and as a Committee Member for the Authentic Caribbean Foundation. Her languages include Spanish and Indonesian.
Joshua Fife hails from Atlanta, Georgia, where he studied journalism and minored in public relations at Georgia State University. While in college, Joshua served as editor for Georgia State’s university newspaper, The Signal, where he led the development of their digital media department. Following graduation, Joshua served as an AmeriCorps member in Philadelphia and was later awarded a Fulbright ETA grant to teach English in Salvador, Brazil. He is proficient in Portuguese and Spanish.
Annette Finnegan is originally from Cape Coral, Florida. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Columbia University in 2017. She has interned at the William J. Clinton Foundation, lived in France as an Au Pair, has been a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Spain, and most recently is completing her Master of Education Policy and Management at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. She is proficient in Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Daphne Flores, originally from New Jersey, is a senior at Rice University, majoring in political science, linguistics, and German tudies. An alum of SEEDS – Access Changes Everything, she returned to the organization as an advisor to the college scholars program to support high-achieving, low-income students in their journey to higher education. Daphne has also interned in the Press and Communications Office of the French Embassy in the United States and studied abroad in France and Germany. Daphne is proficient in Spanish, French, and German.
Nina Forest is originally from Pocatello, Idaho. She graduated from University of California, Davis in June 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. Nina studied abroad in France with a scholarship from the Embassy of France Cultural Services. She also served as a representative for the Miss America Organization and developed a passion for service and community development. Nina has worked for two U.S. Congressmen and currently works at New York PR firm, BerlinRosen. She is proficient in Mandarin.
Melissa Flores is born and raised in Northern Virginia. She graduated from George Mason University in 2018 and holds a bachelor’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and a double minor in Spanish and Latin American Studies. Melissa is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. Melissa worked at the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), which supports grassroots development in Latin America and the Caribbean, where she served as a Grants Management Specialist covering Brazil and UruguayMelissa interned at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) where she assisted the development team with their largest fundraising effort, the annual Human Rights Gala. Melissa speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently.
Breea Gould is a first-generation college graduate from New Orleans, Louisiana. She graduated from Louisiana State University’s Ogden Honors College in 2018 with bachelor’s degrees in international studies and history and minors in German and political science. As an undergraduate, she studied abroad as a Gilman Scholar at Philipps University in Marburg, Germany, and completed internships with the U.S. Embassy Berlin and the U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi. After graduating, she served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Thuringia, Germany. She is proficient in German.
Chris Hernández-Turcios is a Guatemalan-American who seeks to explore issues related to violence and human displacement. He is a first-generation college student who received his bachelor’s degree in government and legal studies from Bowdoin College where he was actively involved in LGBTQ activism, Residential Life, and Peer Health. He has spent the past few years working as a political analyst for the U.S. Government covering Latin American affairs. He is proficient in Spanish, Italian, and French.
Ayele Kuevidjen is originally from Togo. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a B.A. in global studies. Ayele completed the Virtual Federal Student Service Internship with the U.S. Embassy in Niger. In that role, she mentored women entrepreneurs and advised Nigeriens high school students interested in studying abroad in the United States. She also studied abroad in Prague, Czech Republic. Her languages include French and Ewe.
John Leake is from Memphis, Tennessee, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in Russian and Slavic studies from New York University. After graduating, he served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Kazan, Russia. In graduate school, John hopes to explore the intersection of public diplomacy and the post-Soviet space. He is proficient in Russian.
Derrick McAllister, a native of Chicago, Illinois, graduated from Skidmore College in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and German with a minor in French. He spent three semesters abroad during his undergraduate career in London, U.K., Paris, France, and Freiburg, Germany. His languages include German, French, Italian, and Spanish.
Natalie Medlock is from Wilmington, Delaware. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from the University of Delaware, she spent six months in Chile with the English Opens Doors Program. Natalie served in the Peace Corps Dominican Republic for two years, then worked for the University of Delaware’s Institute for Global Studies before pursuing a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Brazil. She is proficient in Spanish and Portuguese.
Renelle Mensah, a Minneapolis, Minnesota native, is a senior at Cornell University, where she is majoring in government and a double minor in Arabic and French. She served was a Critical Language Scholar in Oman, a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, and served on the Board of Directors Co-President at Youthprise. Renelle has served as a volunteer English teaching assistant in Liberia and an Arabic teaching assistant with the Cornell Prison Education Program. She is proficient in Arabic, French, and Spanish.
Piyusha Mittal was raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, where she focused on religion in society and advocated for interfaith cooperation. Piyusha taught English in Andorra on a Fulbright grant, learned Urdu in India as a Critical Language Scholar, studied global trends at Pew Research Center, and interned on Capitol Hill. Her languages include Spanish, French, Catalan, Hindu, and Urdu.
Jessica Moore, originally from New York City, obtained her bachelor’s degree in political science and Latin American studies from Vanderbilt University. During her undergraduate career, she interned at the City Council of Medellin in Colombia and studied abroad in Santiago, Chile. Following graduation, Jessica taught English at a university in Quito, Ecuador for nearly a year. She is proficient in Spanish and Portuguese.
Ashley Morefield, originally from Columbia, Maryland, graduated from Dickinson College with degrees in international studies and French and Francophone studies. She spent her junior year studying abroad in Toulouse, France where she studied at Institut d’Études Politiques de Toulouse. Following graduation, she spent a year in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant teaching English and American culture at Lycée Scientifique de Yamoussoukro. She is proficient in French.
Oliver Osuna Hernandez was born and raised in San Diego, California and attended the University of California, Berkeley where he obtained a bachelor’s in history focused on Modern Latin America. Through different NGOs, Oliver has worked with Latin American asylum seekers in the United States and North Korean refugees within South Korea. Upon graduating, Oliver worked abroad in Seoul, South Korea in the private education sector where he helped expand educational accessibility for marginalized communities. He is proficient in Spanish and French.
Isabella Paternostro, a native from Rockville, Maryland, obtained her bachelor’s degree in China and Asia-Pacific studies with a minor in international relations from Cornell University. Isabella has interned at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, the Women’s Foreign Policy Group, and the Baturu Centre. She is proficient in Mandarin, Russian, and American Sign Language.
Ameena Razzaque is from San Antonio, Texas and a senior at Dartmouth College. She is majoring in Women’s Health in the MENASA (Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian) region and Middle Eastern studies. Ameena studied abroad in Morocco and completed primary source archival research in Ireland and the United Kingdom as a Stamps Scholar. She has also completed several internships in the non-profit sector. Her languages include Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Modern Standard Arabic, and Darija.
Christopher Rich grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts and majored in government with a double-minor in Arabic and Asian studies at St. Lawrence University. Before working with the Peace Corps in Morocco, he interned for the Jesuit Refugee Service in Ankara, Turkey and has studied as a student in Amman, Jordan, and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Christopher has also worked with the Catholic Charities refugee resettlement program in Washington, D.C. His languages include Standard Arabic and Moroccan Arabic.
Claudia Rivera Garcia is from Mexico and completed her bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University as a first-generation student in global studies, with a minor in Mandarin Chinese and a TESOL certificate. She has worked continuously with the Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program, helping more than 100 underrepresented high-school students prepare for collegiate STEM careers. Additionally, Claudia has worked with EMILY’s List and participated in the McCain Institute’s Policy Design Studio. Her languages include Mandarin and Spanish.
Jovany Romero is originally from South Central Los Angeles and completed his undergraduate education at the University of California, San Diego with a double major in political science and sociology with a focus on international relations. During his undergraduate studies, Jovany served as a Research Fellow for the U.S. Immigration Policy Center, where he researched U.S. policy effects amongst immigrants and refugee/asylum seekers. He was also a research apprentice for the sociology department at UCSD. He is fluent in Spanish.
Saycocie Austin Santisouk was born and raised in West Michigan. His parents immigrated from Laos after the Vietnam War and settled in Holland, MI. Santisouk graduated on the dean’s list at Grand Valley State University and earned a B.A. in International Relations and Criminal Justice. After graduating, he immediately went abroad to teach English in Shiga Prefecture with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. During his time abroad, he participated in intercultural exchanges, practiced kickboxing, volunteered for the Shiga Association of JETs, and established a study abroad scholarship for Japanese high school students.
Abdulkadir Sharif graduated from Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a major in international relations and political science. He was a Boren Scholar in Tanzania, a Gilman Scholar in South Africa and Namibia, and participated in the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellowship at Princeton University. He has interned with the Namibia Institute for Democracy as a research assistant and interned at the Minnesota State Capitol as a legislative assistant. Abdulkadir is proficient in Somali and Swahili.
Betty Thai, born and raised in Los Angeles, is a senior double majoring in political science and East Asian languages and cultures as well as pursuing master studies in legal studies at the University of Southern California. Her journey towards a Foreign Service career began with personal experiences of translating for her parents since she was a child, which eventually led her to intern at the Neighborhood Legal Services helping non-native speakers navigate the criminal expungement process. She is proficient in Mandarin.
Cameron Vega is a third-generation Arizonan completing his undergraduate education in classics and political science at Arizona State University. He has previously interned in the Office of UN Political Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Cameron is an undergraduate fellow at the Melikian Center and New America’s Center on the Future of War and a former fellow at the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and Barrett, the Honors College. His languages include Spanish and Serbo-Croatian.
Brittney Vevaina was born and raised in San Diego. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and she studied abroad at the University for Peace in San Jose, Costa Rica. She has more than seven years of combined experience improving the effectiveness of federal agencies at Booz Allen Hamilton and the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service. Her languages include Spanish.
Abigail Wei completed her bachelor’s degree at Vanderbilt University and grew up in Maryland. As an undergraduate, she spent a summer living among and volunteering in Delhi’s Afghan refugee community. She moved to Delhi after college to work at a data-tech startup and is currently on the Talent team at Sidewalk Labs. Her languages include Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, and Spanish.
Mona Zahir is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University where she served as the 2016 to 2017 Student Body President and as an HBCU White House All-Star Ambassador. She has seven years of international experience having traveled to eleven countries. As a former teacher, Mona loves to encourage young students the value of self-discovery and global awareness through traveling. She is proficient in Arabic, Amharic, and French.
2020 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellowship Program Fellow Snapshots
On November 7, the 2020 Pickering Fellowship selection panel chose 30 2020 Pickering Fellows. All accepted the fellowship offer. The selection panel was extremely impressed by the new fellows’ experiences, leadership, and commitment to a Foreign Service career. The program received 844 applications, and the selection process was highly competitive.
Melanie Baca-Ortiz is from Alexandria, Virginia, and obtained her bachelor’s degree in International Relations and French from Lake Forest College. Melanie has held internships at the Consulate of Honduras, the American Bar Association, and the Association of American Residents Overseas. Melanie currently works at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. She is proficient in Spanish and French.
Erick Boone, originally from Kansas City, Missouri, graduated from Howard University where he studied legal communications and French. Erick previously worked with the Mandela Young African Leaders Program and later as an English instructor through the Teaching Assistant Program in France program. He currently serves as an intern for the Department of State and as a policy fellow for the U.S. Helsinki Commission, where works on human rights issues. His languages include Spanish and French.
Christie Charles is a Haitian American born and raised in Connecticut and Georgia and received her B.A. in International Business from Howard University. During her studies, she studied abroad in Grenoble, France, as a Gilman Scholar. After graduating, Christie served in the Peace Corps as an Education Volunteer. Following her service, she was the recipient of a Fulbright grant to teach English in Côte d’Ivoire. For the past few years, she has worked in the Washington, DC area in grants management. Christie’s languages include Haitian Creole and French.
Akaisha Cook is a recent graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at the Honors College. Akaisha has studied abroad in Chengdu, China and is a 2019 Rangel Summer Scholar. She has also served as a legislative policy intern in the Office of the Governor of the State of Nevada and was actively engaged in student-based organizations at UNLV. She is proficient in Mandarin.
Lauren Dacus is originally from the Baltimore, Maryland area and graduated from Old Dominion University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and history. She studied abroad in Meknes, Morocco, where she volunteered at a women’s development NGO. Lauren currently serves as a Peace Corps School and Community Resource Volunteer in South Africa, where she promotes English literacy and community engagement in healthy lifestyle choices as an educator and project facilitator. Her languages include Arabic, Italian, and Zulu.
Hadja Diallo was born in Guinea and grew up in Senegal. Currently, she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in human development and a minor in economics at Binghamton University College of Community and Public Affairs. As a scholar of the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women SUNY Global Affairs Program, Hadja interned with the International Rescue Committee in New York City. She is currently volunteering with Citizen Action. Her languages include French, Fulani, and Wolof.
Joey Fernandez, originally from New York City, is currently a senior at Georgetown University, where he studies international politics with a concentration in international security. Joey was a 2017 Rangel International Affairs undergraduate scholar and has interned at the Bureau of Conflict Stabilization and Operation at the Department of State in Washington, DC and at the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, Moldova. He is proficient in Spanish.
Alexandra Fognani, a Washington, DC native, received her B.A. from Tufts University in international relations and peace and justice studies. During her undergraduate career, Alexandra studied abroad in Madrid, Spain where she also completed an internship with the Spanish Commission of Refugee Assistance. She also interned with the State Office of Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Center of Arabic Culture, and Accenture. She currently works at Accenture. Her current languages are Spanish and Arabic.
Autumn Herndon is a native of small-town Clifton Park, N.Y. She majors in international studies with a concentration in Latin America and the Caribbean at Manhattan College. Herndon has studied Spanish and Marine Biology in Panama, volunteering at an indigenous primary school to teach English. She also studied sociology in Colombia and lived with a homestay family in Paris to learn French. She is proficient in Spanish, French, Russian.
Nakeisha Jones is a native of Boston, Massachusetts. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tufts University. Her commitment to public service has led her to work and volunteer in the public and humanitarian sectors within the U.S. and abroad, including Brazil, Jordan, and Iraq. She is a Fulbright Scholar and speaks Arabic and Portuguese.
JoAnn Jung immigrated to the United States from South Korea and currently lives in River Edge, New Jersey. As an undergraduate at Wellesley College, she majored in International Relations and Education Studies. She has prior experience working at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Africa Bureau and the U.S. Department of Education, overseeing programs and policies that serve as bridges between the U.S. government and countries all over the world. She has experience teaching abroad in Thailand and South Korea, and her languages include Korean, Spanish, and Chinese.
Oumama Kabli is a native of Toronto, Canada, where she lived until she moved to Northern Virginia in 2010. She graduated from George Mason University in December 2017 with a B.A. in global affairs, with a double concentration in the Middle East and North Africa and global governance. In 2018, Oumama completed her service with the Virginia Army National Guard as a Sergeant. She was also the recipient of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Morocco, where she served at a stand-alone instructor at a public university. Her languages include Darija, French, and Modern Standard Arabic.
Sydney Kamen is a senior at Dartmouth College studying human geography and global health. Sydney is a Truman Scholar, Boren Scholar, and the founder of an internationally acclaimed non-profit. She has spent semesters abroad in India, Jordan, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kosovo. Her languages include French, Swahili, Hindi, and Arabic.
Jin Kim, born in Korea and raised outside of Chicago, is a political science student at the University of Rochester. As part of his fifth-year scholarship in urban Latin American studies, he recently studied and volunteered in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has spent time interning for the Korean American Resource and Cultural in Chicago, with Senator Durbin’s office in Washington D.C., and the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He is proficient in Korean and Spanish.
Heberto Limas-Villers previously worked with Goldman Sachs as an investment banking analyst until January 2019. Before then, he graduated cum laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he studied economics. In college, Heberto was affiliated with the Leeds Consulting Group, the Presidents Leadership Class, and the A.E.I. Student Network. His languages include Spanish and French.
Anna Lipscomb grew up in San Jose, CA. She recently graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California, where she studied international relations and East Asian languages and cultures. During her undergraduate studies, she was an undergraduate research fellow at the Korean Studies Institute, the editor-in-chief of the Southern California International Review, and the managing editor at US-China Today. Her languages include Mandarin and Spanish.
Nathaniel Maekawa graduated from the University of Michigan with his bachelor’s degree in international studies with concentrations in medical anthropology and sustainability. Nathaniel has worked as an aquaculture and sustainable livelihood intern for the N.G.O., ReefDoctor in Madagascar, and now serves as a health education volunteer for the United States Peace Corps in Mongolia. He is proficient in French and Mongolian.
Kadidiatou Magassa was born and raised in Harlem, New York City. She graduated from Southwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and political science. Less than a year after graduation, she began her service with the Peace Corps, where she served as a Preventive Health Volunteer in Senegal, West Africa. She is proficient in French, Malanke, and Bambara.
Tracy Magooba, born in Uganda, Kampala, currently lives in the Twin Cities of Minnesota; where she is completing her undergraduate degree in communication at The College of Saint Benedict and St John’s University. Currently, she works as a coordinator with the College of Saint Benedict’s Center for Global Education. Her languages include Lusoga and French.
Jasmine McClam will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and Spanish from Spelman College in 2020. Originally from Houston, Jasmine has had opportunities to travel across Latin America through her undergraduate institution and as a participant in the Department of State’s American Youth Leadership Program. During the summer of 2019, Jasmine interned with the Department of State within the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and was selected as a Council of American Ambassadors Fellow. She is proficient in Spanish.
Christian Navarro-King is a senior, international studies major at Morehouse College. In the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Christian has worked for A.M.B. Sports & Entertainment Group as an Event Day Host, Wells Fargo as a Commercial Banking Intern, and Morehouse Student Services Department as an Intern for the Dean of the College. In his junior year, Christian had the opportunity to study abroad in Dubai, U.A.E., as a William Jefferson Clinton Scholar. His languages include Spanish.
Elizabeth Pantaleon served as the first Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in the West Bank/Palestinian Territories. She earned a B.A. in international studies, a B.S. in public relations, and minor in Arabic Languages and Literature from the University of Florida. Elizabeth speaks Arabic and Spanish.
Uri-Biia Si-Asar was born and raised in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. She graduated Cum Laude from the illustrious Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in international relations. In the past, she has interned at the office of Congressman Keith Ellison, Federal Reserve Bank, and worked as a program instructor with the Close Up Foundation. Currently, she is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served as a secondary education English teacher in Benin, West Africa. She is proficient in French.
Shaheed Stevenson is from the small town of Roseboro, North Carolina. He is completing his final semester of undergraduate work at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Before becoming a student at UNCW, he served in the U.S. Army for six years as a member of N.C. National Guard. He took part in two NATO missions in Germany and Kosovo as a communications and intelligence specialist. He is proficient in French.
Lauren Truong, the daughter of Vietnam War refugees, was born and raised in Metro Detroit, Michigan. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor with a B.A. in Asian studies. As an undergraduate, she received the Heiwa Nakajima Foundation Scholarship and studied at the University of Tokyo. After graduating, she served two years with the Peace Corps in Armenia. Lauren speaks Japanese and Eastern Armenian and is currently studying Egyptian Arabic.
Steve Dylan Vest is a first-generation college student from Princeton, West Virginia. He will graduate in May 2020 with a B.A. in French and a B.A. in political science with a concentration in International Relations, Comparative Politics, and National Security from West Virginia University. He is proficient in French.
Shirin Vetry graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in political science and minors in international development and French. Shirin’s experiences include piloting a social enterprise in France with Middle Eastern refugees, implementing an anti-radicalization project at the International Organization for Migration in Uganda, and creating a non-profit for sustainable fashion designers in Colombia during her Fulbright grant. Her languages include Spanish, French, Persian, and Luganda.
Collin Walsh was born, raised, and educated in New Haven, Connecticut. He graduated from Southern Connecticut State University as a political science undergraduate. Shortly after graduating, he enrolled in the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where he studied abroad in India. The next phase of his journey in public service involved him becoming a Police Officer and teaching law at the Connecticut Police Academy and is currently a Foreign Affairs Officer with U.S. Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security. He is proficient in Bengali.
Ojani-Pierre Ruphin Walthrust is from Queens, New York. He received his bachelor’s degree at George Washington University in international affairs in December 2019. In his junior year, he traveled to the Dominican Republic and, for his final semester, he studied abroad in Cuzco, Peru. His languages include Haitian Creole and Spanish.
Donald Williams Jr., a Columbus, Georgia native, is a senior international business and economics major at Mercer University. He has previous international experience in Japan and Spain as a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar, Fund for Education Abroad Scholar, and a Kakehashi Fellowship Recipient. He is proficient in Spanish.
Johnny Zapata is a native of Houston, Texas. He graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. in history and Spanish and a B.A. in political science During his undergraduate career, he studied abroad in Baku, Azerbaijan, and interned at the Houston History Magazine and the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston. He is currently an English Teaching Assistant in Turkey. His languages include Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Azerbaijani Turkish.
2019 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellowship Program Fellow Snapshots
On November 16, the 2019 Pickering Fellowship selection panel chose 30 2019 Pickering Fellows. All accepted the fellowship offer. The selection panel was extremely impressed by the new fellows’ experiences, leadership, and commitment to a Foreign Service career. The program received 822 applications, and the selection process was highly competitive.
Jawaad Ali graduated summa cum laude from George Mason University with his bachelor’s degree in global affairs concentrating on the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia in 2014. He served as a Consular Applications Training Instructor for the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute and as a Program Support Specialist within the Office of Criminal Justice Assistance and Partnership (CAP). Currently, he is provides training to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services staff. His languages include Dari, Pashto, and Urdu.
Erin Bourque will graduate from Northeastern University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and political science with minors in Russian language and history. As a recipient of the David L. Boren Scholarship and the Department of State’s Critical Language and National Security Language Initiative for Youth Scholarships, she has lived and studied in Kazakhstan and Russia. In graduate school, Erin hopes to further explore the intersection of security/resilience studies and post-Soviet space. She is proficient in Russian.
Adriana Bowman will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Chinese from the University of South Carolina in 2019. She has studied in Chengdu, China through the Gilman Scholarship and in Shanghai, China where she studied economics, political science, and Chinese, and in Xi’an, China through the CLS Program. Currently, Adriana is studying Hindi, economics, and political science in India on the Boren Scholarship for nine months. Her languages include Chinese and Hindi.
Ashley Brooks is a self-proclaimed Washingtonian, though she has lived all over the world including Nigeria, Morocco, Jordan, Honduras, and Peru. She will graduate from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish, and minors in Arabic and Portuguese. Ashley has interned in the House of Representatives and been awarded a CLS Program and Boren Scholarship to study Arabic. She currently works as an undergraduate researcher at the University of Miami Department of Political Science. Her languages include Arabic, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Trisha Camara is a Milwaukee native and a senior studying political science and government at Loyola University Chicago. As a student, she has had the opportunity to intern for the Anti-Defamation League, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, Local 881 United Food and Commercial Workers Union, and as an education policy research intern for a school network in Chicago. Trisha is currently an intern for the Legal Services Corporation in Washington, D.C.Her languages include French, Spanish, and German.
Jordana “Monet” Clarke was born in Jamaica and raised in Windsor, Connecticut. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Harvard College in 2017 where she majored in East Asian Studies. Most recently, Monet spent a year in Nanjing studying Sino-American relations at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Jordana hopes to enroll in Georgetown’s MASIA program. In addition to being fluent in Mandarin Chinese, her languages also include Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Alina Clough graduated in 2018 from Westminster College with a bachelor’s degree in international politics. During her undergraduate studies, she served as a Congress-Bundestag Fellow, where she volunteered with refugees and researched economics at a think tank in Berlin, strengthening her Germanic language skills.
Bryan Cronan, Jr. is originally from Griffin, Georgia and graduated with a B.A. in international studies and journalism from Emory University. After graduating, he received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Northern Malaysia. Bryan is now working in Washington D.C. at The McManus Group, a health care policy firm and has previously worked as a reporter at several media outlets, including The Christian Science Monitor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Atlanta Magazine. His languages include French, Wolof, and Malay.
Brandy Darling is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She is a current senior and double major in economics and East Asian studies with a minor in applied statistics at Connecticut College. She has interned at the African Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, China and also studied at the Harbin Institute of Technology where she researched Sino-African Relations. Brandy aspires to continue working on her research in graduate school at the Monterey Institute where she plans to study International Trade and Economic Diplomacy.
J. Ashley Fox is a West Virginia native and obtained bachelor’s degrees in political science and international studies, with minors in English and philosophy from West Virginia University in 2013. She previously served as press assistant to Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), communications and digital content coordinator at the Center for International Private Enterprise, and digital media coordinator at the Brookings Institution. Ashley plans to attend a public policy program, with an emphasis on technology policy. Her languages include Spanish and Dutch.
Catherine Haseman is currently studying Arabic and Middle East Studies at Baylor University in Waco, Texas and will graduate in 2019. On campus, she served on the Baylor Migration Project Team, developing local projects to assist unaccompanied minors from Central America. Additionally, Catherine has volunteered in refugee communities in Greece, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories. In graduate school, Catherine hopes to study public policy with a focus on global affairs. She is proficient in Arabic.
Zhanna Imel, born in Kazakhstan, graduated Magna Cum Laude with her bachelor’s in international business from Fort Lewis College in Colorado in 2018. As an undergraduate, Zhanna has served in various capacities such as Orientation Leader, Junior Admission Counselor, and Vice-President of the International Club. She also developed and participated in her own study abroad program in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She is proficient in Russian.
Christian Jacobson will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a Japanese Studies Minor from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in December 2018. Christian has served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard since 2013. Christian has also participated in an exchange in Tokyo, a language internship program in Nagasaki, and several other volunteer teaching roles in Japan. Christian participated in an internship for the Viessmann Group’s Digital Innovation Management team in Germany. His languages include Japanese and Tagalog.
Quimberly Jasso is from Houston, Texas and studied international relations and global studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She has participated in both the CLS Program to study mandarin in Dalian, China, and the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program to intern at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs through the U.S. Department of State. Her languages include Mandarin and Spanish.
Matthew Jernstedt is a proud senior at Arizona State University, where he will obtain a degree in Political Science. He was the recipient of the prestigious Gilman fellowship in 2016 and studied European integration in the Czech Republic. In 2018, Matthew interned on Capitol Hill while studying under two ambassadors in the McCain Institute Policy Design Studio. He is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.
Bethany Johnson, born and raised in San Diego, CA, moved to Northern California to attend the California State University Maritime Academy. She will obtain her bachelor’s degree in global studies and maritime affairs with minors in law and marine science in 2019. Bethany has held internship positions at the Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation and the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Her languages include Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.
Spencer King is from Independence, Oregon but grew up for most of his life in Kijabe, Kenya. In 2019, he will graduate from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania with his bachelor’s degree in international affairs and economics and a minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and Peace and Justice Studies. He has spent extensive time abroad including his time in Kenya, an internship in Morocco, study abroad in Jordan, and language study in Oman with both the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center’s SALAM program and CLS Program. Spence is proficient in Arabic.
Samantha Ku received her bachelor’s degree in political science with honors from the University of California, Irvine in 2018 where she had an emphasis in international relations and a minor in conflict resolution. Samantha was a Global Terrorism Database research intern at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism and also served as the nuclear non-proliferation intern at the United Nations House Scotland. Currently, Samantha interns in APCO Worldwide’s Global Solutions practice. Her languages include Mandarin Chinese and French.
Javan Latson is a proud Commodore, currently attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee where he is studying human and organizational development with a concentration in international leadership and development and minoring in political science. During his time at Vanderbilt, Javan was a research fellow for the Latin American Public Opinion Project, helped promote literacy in Metro Nashville, and served as a client advocate at the Tennessee Justice Center. His languages include Spanish, French, and Darija.
Aleia Maculam received her Bachelor’s in Near Eastern Studies and Civilizations from the University of Chicago. During her undergraduate career, she undertook intensive Arabic study in the region, spending a semester in Cairo, Egypt, and a year in Rabat, Morocco as a Boren Scholar. After graduating, Aleia returned to Morocco to teach English at the American Language Center in Tangier. She currently works with the U.S. Department of Defense, where she supports initiatives that promote study abroad and critical language and culture acquisition. Her languages include Moroccan Arabic, Arabic, and Spanish.
Maria Moscoso, born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, was raised in Miami, Florida. She graduated cum laude from Smith College in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in Global South development studies. Her recent experiences include fellowships with the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria, the Atlantic Expedition in Germany, and the KAKEHASHI Bridge Project in Japan, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Maria is currently a Program Specialist for Stabilization and Development with Creative Associates International. Her languages include Spanish, Portuguese, and German.
Bridget Nicholas from Covington, Kentucky and graduated from the University of Kentucky with degrees in Chinese studies and international studies with a minor in French studies. Currently, she is a 2018-2019 Princeton in Asia Fellow serving in a new post with the Dunhuang Research Academy in China. During her undergraduate career, Bridget participated in the CLS Program in Changchun, China, and studied at the Inter-University Program for Chinese Studies and the Mandarin Training Center. Her languages include Mandarin Chinese, French, and Russian.
Ruth Ann Philip makes her official residence in Frisco, Texas, but she has grown up in India, the U.A.E., South Korea, and California. She will receive her bachelor’s degree in international relations and a minor in French from Oral Roberts University. Ruth Ann has worked as a marketing intern with a nonprofit law firm focusing on religious freedom, tutored middle and high school aged Burmese and Syrian refugees, and volunteered for Senator Van Taylor. Currently, she is a Diplomatic intern with the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation. Her languages include Malayalam, French, and Spanish.
Sofia Ramirez graduated summa cum laude in 2017 from the University of San Diego with a degree in international relations and Asian studies. Sofia studied Chinese in Taiwan through the CLS Program and had the opportunity to intern for Congressman Scott Peters. After graduating, she worked as a Research Associate for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. Sofia speaks Spanish, Chinese, and Portuguese, and plans to study international trade and development in graduate school.
Melissa Rubalcava is from Tucson, Arizona and graduated from the University of Arizona as a first-generation student with a B.A. in political science with an emphasis in international relations, and a minor in Middle Eastern and Northern Africana Studies. She has interned for several organizations including the Police Reform Organizing Project. Melissa is passionate about the advocacy of human and labor rights throughout Latin America. She is proficient in Spanish.
Charles Santiago was raised in central Florida and southern North Carolina. In 2016, he completed a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and a minor in Russian Language at George Washington University. During his undergrad career, Charles participated in internships with the Community of Democracies for the Leaders Engaged in New Democracies initiative, the AIESEC in Kazakhstan, and the e-Governance Academy in Estonia. After his undergraduate studies, Charles served two years with the Peace Corps in Ukraine. His languages include Russian, Ukrainian, and Spanish.
Marshall Sherrell attended the University of Washington-Seattle Campus where he graduated bachelor’s degrees in Japanese and Creative Writing in 2018. While a student, he participated in the CLS Program to Japan in 2017 and studied at Keio University. While in Japan, Marshall wrote English-language articles for two Japanese publications: Japan Spotlight, of the Japan Economic Foundation, and Samurai Meetups, a nonprofit organization focused on facilitating cultural exchanges between Japanese people and visitors from abroad. He is proficient in Japanese.
Oluwasimidele Shonibare, known by many as Lola, grew up in Columbus, Atlanta, and Lagos. She graduated from Rutgers University, New Brunswick in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in public health and a certificate in health disparities. Previously, she worked as an intern at the Center for Humanitarian Emergencies and Hubert Department of Global Health, an intern with the Middlesex County Office of Health Services, and fundraising and Event Planning Officer for the G.O.Y.A. Project. After graduation, Lola served as an AmeriCorps member in California. Her languages include Yoruba and French.
Lucia Solorzano is from Amherst, Massachusetts and graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University in 2017 with a degree in political economics and a minor in Spanish and Latin American Cultures. Currently, she is the Public Partnerships Officer for Asia and Latin America at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Lucia has also interned at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, and Girls Incorporated. Her languages include Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian.
Samantha Tafoya will complete her undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas in 2018 with bachelor’s degrees in political science, journalism, African and African-American studies, and a minor in anthropology. Samantha has experience working on West and East African programs for Search for Common Ground and implementing youth development programs for a local NGO and writing political news stories for the Sunday Times in Cape Town, South Africa. Her languages include French, Spanish, and Zulu.
Estrella Vargas will complete her undergraduate studies at Elmhurst College in 2018 with bachelor’s degrees in Political Science, Urban Studies with a specific focus in Public Administration, and Intercultural and International Studies. She has worked on campaigns for Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Congressman-Elect Sean Casten, and State Representative Deb Conroy. Estrella plans to pursue a Master’s in Public Administration at American University. She is proficient in Spanish.
Sasha Whitley is from Concord, North Carolina and attends Vanderbilt University where she will receive a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and another in Medicine, Health, and Society in 2019. Sasha studied abroad in Vienna, Austria where she completed an internship with Radio Afrika. Currently, she is a Program Assistant with the Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth in Nashville, Tennessee. Her languages include Spanish and German.
Nasir Wilson is from Delaware and is currently at the University of Delaware double majoring in political science and criminal justice and double minoring in Africana studies and legal studies. Currently, he works for the Department of State processing and responding to global non-FOIA legal demands and special projects in Information Programs and Services. Nasir previously interned at the US Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency creating the Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) College Outreach Framework (COF). He is proficient in Spanish.