Students at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy excel in a variety of fields, and their hard work and expertise is being recognized with prestigious fellowships, grants and awards this semester.
Renato Barreda, Martha Marr and Samantha Stein were selected as finalists for the Presidential Management Fellows program(PMF). The PMF program is administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and is a leadership development program at the entry level for advanced degree candidates who are dedicated to federal service, leadership and management. The program focuses on developing potential government leaders by providing mentorship and training to chosen fellows.
Three students were named Boren Fellows. Maya Camargo Vemuri (Senegal), Muthanna Rahman(TBD) and Robertson Fellow Sarah Simpkins (Senegal) have been awarded Boren Fellowships. The fellowship is an initiative of the National Security Education Program and provides “unique funding opportunities for U.S. graduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Middle East.” Those chosen for the fellowship have a desire to work in the federal national security arena. In exchange for funding, fellows commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation.
Kerry Burgott and Lauren Sooy were awarded Critical Language Scholarships from the U.S. Department of State, a fully-funded summer overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students, with the goal of broadening the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages. Burgott will study Bangla in India. Sooy will study Indonesian in Indonesia.
Master of Public Policy student Whitney Dixon was selected by the University of Maryland’s President Commission on Ethnic Minority issues as the Graduate Minority Achievement Award Winner. The award recognizes faculty, staff, students and individual units that “have made outstanding contributions to the University’s equity efforts or those who have worked to improve the racial climate on the College Park campus.
PhD student Cynthia Boruchowicz was awarded the All-S.T.A.R. Fellowship from the UMD Graduate School. The fellowship honors outstanding graduate students, nominated by their college/school, who are great scholars and graduate assistants. Awardees receive a $10,000 stipend for the school year.
PhD students Bryce Pardo and Elizabeth Tennant were both awarded an Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship, which supports students in the later stages of writing their dissertations. The UMD Graduate School provides awardees with full support for one semester during the academic year.
Zhongsheng Wu, also a doctoral student at SPP, received a Humane Studies Fellowship for the 2017-2018 academic year. The renewable, non-residency fellowship program supports graduate students with “an interest in developing, teaching and applying the principles of a free society, this program supports research in the humanities and social sciences.”
Rawlings Fellow Adwoa Boateng has been named a 2017 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellow and will attend the PPIA Junior Summer Institutes this year. “The goal of PPIA is to help high-potential students from diverse backgrounds earn a master’s degree or a joint degree in public policy, international affairs or any related field that will help prepare them for a career in public service.