FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Brittany A.B. Surratt

Communications Specialist

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Brittany.Bell@howard.edu
 

WASHINGTON (April 15, 2015)--Howard University alumna Keisha Herbert has been awarded one of the highly competitive 2015 Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowships established to attract young scholars interested in careers in the U.S. Foreign Service. The Payne Fellowship, which is managed by the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard, is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Herbert earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Howard and worked as a research aide for Cleveland City Hall before joining the United States Peace Corps, where she served in Guatemala for three years as an integrated youth promoter. “This fellowship brings a long-sought-after dream into reality,” Herbert said.  “The program aligns with my long-term career interests, and provides the training and growth I'll need to be an effective global leader as a USAID Foreign Service officer.”

The Payne Fellowship will award Herbert approximately $90,000 to pursue a master’s degree in an area of study related to international development. In the fall, she will attend Columbia University and will do a congressional internship in Washington. She will be sent overseas in the summer of 2016 to gain hands-on experience in international development programs by working on a USAID mission. Upon graduation, she will become a USAID Foreign Service officer.