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CAS alumna receives Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship
[03.18.2015]

TAMPA, Fla. -- Nia Jackson, an alumna of the University of South Florida has been named Rangel Graduate Fellowship recipient. Nia is the first USF recipient of the Rangel Graduate Fellowship and one of only 30 students in the United States to receive the award. The fellowship gives up to $47,500 annually for two years of graduate educational expenses, a paid internship on Capitol Hill and with a U.S. Embassy overseas, mentoring, and a minimum five-year appointment as a foreign service officer.

Jackson received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from USF in May 2014. She is a previous Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) recipient and during summer 2014, she spent eight weeks in Tangier, Morocco immersed in Arabic language instruction and the culture of the Middle East. During her time at USF she was a USF Ambassador, social actions chair for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, a senator for Student Government and first vice president of the National Council of Negro Women. She has served as a Legislative Intern for the Office of State Representative Janet Cruz, and as a participant of the Tallahassee Internship Program, she was a government affairs intern assigned to Robert M. Levy and Associates. Currently living in Washington, D.C., Jackson has also served as communications intern for U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, as part of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

Jackson will pursue a graduate degree in international communications at American University in Washington, D.C. She looks forward to becoming a public diplomacy officer, and she values self-discovery and global citizenship. Thus, Jackson believes that student and professional exchanges are the biggest drivers to breaking down culture misconceptions and national differences.

The USF Office of National Scholarships identifies, recruits and mentors high achieving students to apply for national merit scholarships across all disciplines. The scholarships and fellowships are for creative, motivated and academically strong students who are leaders in and out of the classroom.

The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship is a program that aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the foreign service in which they can help formulate, represent and implement U.S. foreign policy. This program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the foreign service and those with financial need. Fellows who successfully complete the program and foreign service entry requirements will receive appointments as foreign service officers, one of the most exciting and rewarding careers available.

Filed under:Arts and Sciences Alumni Arts and Sciences Sociology Student Success  
Credits
Author:Lauren Chambers
Contact:lschumac@honors.usf.edu