2023 Scholarship and Fellowship Awardees
The Josef Korbel School of International Studies is pleased to acknowledge the extraordinary accomplishments of our students. An impressive number – 30 students and recent alumni – have received prestigious fellowship and scholarship awards this year.
Congratulations to all our 2023 Korbel fellowship and award recipients!
2023 Fellowship Recipients
Boren Fellowships provide up to $30,000 to U.S. graduate students to add an important international and language component to their education through specialization in area study, language study, or increased language proficiency.
Matthew Barrett
2nd year International Studies M.A. Candidate
Matthew will be spending six months studying Swahili in Arusha, Tanzania.
Sylvia Morna Freitas
1st year International Development M.A. Candidate
Sylvia will spend six months studying Turkish in Istanbul, Turkey.
The CLS Program is a fully funded overseas language and cultural immersion program with the goal of broadening the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries.
Alice Blair
1st year International Studies M.A. Candidate
Alice will spend 8 weeks in Japan doing intensive language study at Okayama University.
Ellen Jensen (Finalist)
International Studies B.A. Candidate
Ellen is an alternate for the 2023 CLS Spark Arabic award. If promoted to a finalist, she will study Arabic online through the State Department this summer and be promoted to a semi-finalist status for an award to travel abroad to the Middle East next summer.
EDF Climate Corps is a summer fellowship program that embeds trained, custom-matched graduate students inside leading organizations to accelerate clean energy projects and strategy.
Kabiru Lawal
1st year Global Environmental Sustainability M.A. Candidate
Kabiru will work with a host organization in the field of climate & sustainability (energy, policy, climate finance, renewable energy, or GHG Accounting).
Erin Vicelja (Finalist)
2nd year International Development M.A. Candidate
Colorado Department of Transportation Fellowship
Colorado Department of Transportation Fellows work on important research and assignments that support critical programs. Fellows have the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned to make a positive impact on transportation in Colorado!
Zia O’Neill
1st year Global Environmental Sustainability M.A. Candidate
Zia will be working over the next nine months with the Division of Transit and Rail team to increase communication and data sharing.
NNSA Graduate Fellowship Program
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP) identifies and develops the next generation of exceptional national security leaders to achieve the NNSA mission: Strengthening our nation through nuclear security.
Will Smock-Egan
2nd year International Security M.A. Candidate
Will is posted at the NNSA headquarters in Washington D.C. for one year, working on nuclear stockpile management.
Ryan Nelson
International Studies M.A. Alumni
Ryan will be posted in Albuquerque, New Mexico at Pacific Northwest National Lab’s Office of Partnership and Acquisition Services.
Princeton in Asia fosters mutual appreciation and cross-cultural understanding between the United States and Asia through immersive work in host organizations and communities. Founded in 1898, Princeton in Asia has been building bridges between the U.S. and Asia for over a century.
Kaitlin Smith
1st year International Security
Kaitlin will be working as an analyst at Tractus Asia in Kobe, Japan during the 2023-2025 fellowship cycles.
Connecting people, connecting nations. Fulbright Scholars represent a diverse range of backgrounds and institutions. Fulbright programs expand perspectives through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue. In partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines to passionate and accomplished students and young professionals from all backgrounds.
Asma Alkaabi
2nd year International Studies M.A. Candidate
Asma is a Bahraini Fulbright postgraduate student at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies specializing in China.
Kerent Benjumea (Finalist)
2nd year International Studies M.A. Candidate
Kerent will be in Jordan, researching the effects of the Abraham Accords on Jordan's position as a peace broker in the region.
Lynn Chlela
2nd year International Security M.A. Candidate
Lynn completed her MA in International Security with a specialization in Financial Crimes as part of her Fulbright award at the Korbel School. Her research focuses on identifying channels of Terrorist and non-state actors funding within the MENA region. Upon graduation, she will be joining the Institute for Comparative and Regional Studies as the incoming Program Manager.
Danielle Ekstrand
International Studies M.A. Alumni
Dani will be serving as an English Teaching Assistant in Southern Italy.
Bianca Garcia
1st year International Studies M.A. Candidate
Bianca will be spending 10 months working with a Mexican company and taking international business classes at ITAM to promote mutual understanding between the business communities in Mexico and the U.S.
Muhammed Hussein
2nd year International Development M.A. Candidate
Muhammed is a Fulbright Fellow from Egypt under the U.S. Department of State. His focus is on development and humanitarian assistance.
Fatema Juhra
1st year Public Policy M.A. Candidate
Fatema is a Fulbright Fellow from Bangladesh under the U.S. Department of State. Her specialization is on human rights and security.
Berfin Kalayci
1st year International Human Rights M.A. Candidate
Berfin is spending two years in Denver, Colorado and completing her MA in International Human Rights. Part of her 2-year-journey will include exchanging cultural, political, and social knowledge with local Americans to foster mutual understanding and to advance knowledge across nations and communities.
Aisha Nazir
2nd year International Development M.A. Candidate
Aisha is a Fulbright Fellow from Pakistan under the U.S. Department of State.
P.E.O International Peace Scholarship
The International Peace Scholarship was established in 1949 to provide scholarships for international women students to pursue graduate study in the U.S. or Canada.
Lusungu Chirambo
2nd year International Development M.A. Candidate
Lusungu used her scholarship award to complete her master’s degree in International Development and a certificate in Humanitarian Assistance studies.
Presidential Management Fellowship
The Presidential Management Fellowship program is a competitive flagship leadership development program at the entry level for recent Master’s and PhD graduates interested in public service. In addition to the salary and benefits, fellows receive formal classroom training on leadership, management, feedback, and at least one 4-6 month developmental assignment with the potential for accelerated promotions within the U.S. government.
Aela Nash
International Studies M.A. & Master of Social Work, Alumni
Aela is currently seeking a placement in the federal government, ideally in global or public health.
Rebecca Stephan
2nd year Public Policy M.A. Candidate
Becca is in the process of exploring opportunities as part of the PMF program.
Jonathan Stupple
2nd year International Studies M.A. Candidate
Jonathan is in the process of exploring opportunities as part of the PMF program.
Beza Tafari
2nd year International Development M.A. Candidate
Beza has been appointed to the position of International Economist with the US International Development Finance Corporation as a Presidential Management Fellow.
Uma Trivede
International Development M.A. Alumni
Uma is in the process of exploring opportunities as part of the PMF program.
The Urban leaders Fellowship is a paid summer fellowship for early-to-mid career professionals who are already leaders in their own right and are looking to accelerate their leadership through a seven-week fellowship with a focus on policy and practice. In nine premier cities across the country, fellows work in partnership with other ambitious, mission-driven individuals, organizations, and elected officials with the aim of empowering fellows to bring about real and lasting change in the community in which they work.
Phoebe Cribb
1st year Global Environmental Sustainability M.A. Candidate
Will Lombardo
1st year International Studies M.A. Candidate
Silverado Policy Accelerator – Catherine Hinman Fellowship
The Catherine Hinman Memorial Fellowship creates opportunities for graduate students from across the country pursuing public policy careers, with background studies in economics, applied sciences, international affairs, etc., to gain practical experience and grow professional networks in Washington DC. The Fellowship aims to support Fellows (who would not otherwise have the financial means to spend a summer in Washington DC) to showcase technical skills, immerse into federal policy-making and international affairs, and sow seeds of professional growth for years to come.
David Kelm
1st year International Human Rights M.A. Candidate
David will be working as a Catherine Hinman Fellow at the Silverado Policy Accelerator in Washington, DC.
The Truman Foundation identifies aspiring leaders at an important inflection point in their development and recognizes and rewards their commitment to careers in public service.
Daniel Cieraszynski (Finalist)
2nd year Global Economic Affairs M.A. Candidate
Daniel will serve as an intern at CDOT in the Office of Process Improvement and Information Management for this remaining calendar year. Afterwards, he hopes to intern for the International Monetary Fund or the Millennial Challenge Corporation.
The Schwarzman Scholars scholarship was created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century. In any sector, the success of future leaders around the world depends upon an understanding of China’s role in global trends.
Melissa Shambach
International Studies B.A. Alumni
Melissa will be spending one year in Beijing, China, completing an international masters fellowship at Tsinghua University. She will conduct a capstone on China's institutional approach to combatting climate change.
