For McClary, the fellowship means the opportunity to attend a graduate school she couldn't afford on her own and a jump start on her career.

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FSU Senior selected as one of twenty finalists in the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program Graduate Fellowship competition

Senior Criminology and International Affairs major Brittney McClary was selected as one of twenty finalists in the highly competitive Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program Graduate Fellowship competition.

The 2006 Rangel award provides up to $28,000 annually for completion of a two-year master's degree in international affairs or another area of study relevant to the work of the Foreign Service at a graduate or professional school approved by the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center.

For McClary, the fellowship means the opportunity to attend a graduate school she couldn't afford on her own and a jump start on her career.

"The top international affairs and public policy programs in the nation are very costly," McClary said. "More importantly, it guarantees me entrance into the Foreign Service, a position that thousands of Americans around the world try to test into. The competition is very stiff, and only a handful of the thousands that take the entrance written exam and pass the oral exam are hired."

She hopes to attend graduate school in Washington, DC, New York, or Boston, where there are plenty of places to intern in international affairs or public policy agencies before joining the Foreign Service or another government agency that works in the realm of international affairs, preferably one that has positions overseas. Later in her career, she hopes to return to Capitol Hill and enter into legislative affairs.

McClary already has considerable experience in international affairs. She is currently studying Arabic in Damascus, Syria on a National Security Education Program Undergraduate Scholarship, and she spent last summer interning at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.

"Having interned in an embassy overseas, I noticed the great lack of minorities and women in the State Department," McClary said. "The mission of the fellowship is to provide the rest of the world with a correct depiction of the demography of the U.S. and entice highly qualified women and minorities into the Foreign Service Officer position."

Winners of this nationally competitive award will participate in a summer enrichment program at Howard University and a congressional internship this summer. In the summer between their first and second years of graduate school, fellows intern overseas at U.S. Embassies throughout the world. Following graduation, fellows receive an appointment as a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State. Awardees also receive mentoring from a Foreign Service Officer throughout the duration of the fellowship as well as during their early employment at the State Department.

For more information about this and other fellowship opportunities, contact the Office of National Fellowships at 644-7596, or visit them online at http://onf.fsu.edu.

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