Sophomore Receives Foreign Affairs Fellowship

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Dulce Acosta-Licea, a sophomore majoring in political science in the Northwestern University Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, has been selected by the Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship program to join the ranks of Foreign Service officers.

The fellowship includes tuition, room, board and mandatory fees during the junior and senior years of college and during the first year of graduate study. Each year's award also includes reimbursement for books and travel (one round trip per academic year).

Pickering fellows must commit to pursuing a master's degree in international studies at one of the graduate schools participating in the program. The participating schools provide financial support in the second year of graduate study based on need.

Between her junior and senior years, Acosta-Licea will attend a seven-week summer institute based at a graduate school of public policy and international affairs participating in the Pickering program. The curriculum consists of economics, calculus and policy analysis with exercises to develop oral and written communication skills.

She will then receive a stipend to complete two summer internships -- one domestic and one abroad -- within the U.S. Department of State.

After graduating, Acosta-Licea has committed to serve a minimum of four-and-one-half years in an appointment as a Foreign Service officer.

The Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship seeks to recruit talented students in academic programs relevant to international affairs, political and economic analysis, administration, management and science policy. The goal is to attract outstanding students from all ethnic, racial and social backgrounds who have an interest in pursuing a Foreign Service career in the U.S. Department of State.