Weinberg junior headed to Ireland on Douglass Global Fellowship

The Office of Fellowships is pleased to announce that Shira Nash (WCAS ’23) has been chosen for the 2022 cohort of the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship! This summer, Shira will travel to Dublin, Ireland, for this fully funded study abroad program.

Shira is a junior from Washington, DC, majoring in sociology with double minors in international studies and French. She is a student-activist passionate about community-centered justice initiatives, particularly those that support asylum seekers; survivors of human trafficking; and other victims of forced migration. She is the vice president of professional development for the Black Pre-Law Association; a peer academic mentor for Academic Support and Learning Advancement; and a research assistant at the Development of Identities and Cultural Environments Lab, under Dr. Onnie Rogers. Shira also runs her own activism-centered blog, Black & Bloom.

As a fellow, Shira will travel across Ireland alongside fifteen other fellows for a transformative study abroad experience inspired by Douglass’s legacy and fight for justice. She will be enrolled in a course focused on leadership, conflict resolution, effective communication and public speaking, and strategies to effect positive social change. After her time in Ireland, Shira will head to Paris for a study abroad program at the Sorbonne. She hopes to use the tools and skills gained from these experiences to achieve her ultimate goal of entering a career in human rights law or international diplomacy.

The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship honors the legacy of the abolitionist and statesman who himself traveled abroad in 1845 and experienced firsthand efforts to overcome religious, gender, and racial injustice. He returned to America in 1847 transformed and inspired to agitate for positive social change. The fellowship is designed for students of color as part of the Council On International Educational Exchange’s commitment to open doors for all students from all backgrounds.

Shira is Northwestern’s first recipient of the award.

Contact Amy Kehoe at amy.kehoe@northwestern.edu to learn more about the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship.