Howard University senior Hayley King has been awarded a 2016 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship. She was one of 30 fellows selected nationwide.

The Rangel Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of State and managed by the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University, supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue a career representing the U.S. Foreign Service.

King will graduate from Howard Summa Cum Laude in May with a degree in political science. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, Model United Nations, Model NATO, Model African Union and Model Arab League, and the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) Honors Program, and has received the Howard University Legacy Scholarship for Academic Achievement and a Division I Lacrosse Scholarship. She was active in the Howard University Society of Future Diplomats, the National Council of Negro Women, the Democrats Club and the COAS Student Council.

Passionate about international and public affairs, King interned for Congressman G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence and the Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. She speaks Arabic and Spanish and traveled to Ghana with COAS during her time at Howard.

“That’s when I really got exposed to different cultures,” said King. “I loved being abroad and I wanted to have a career in foreign policy—being around a culture that was so unlike my own and just living in an environment that was completely different from America.”

Beginning in summer 2016, with the help of the fellowship’s $95,000 of assistance over two years, King will pursue a dual master’s degree in international relations and public relations from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and its S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She hopes to specialize in the Middle East and become a public diplomacy officer in the Foreign Service.

“Within the Middle East, I’d like to focus on Iraq and Syria,” said King. “I think there’s a lot of rebuilding that needs to happen, and I would like to help with that.”

King said she would also like to focus on the Israel-Palestine region.

King will work for a member of Congress on international issues during summer 2016. The State Department will send her to work at a U.S. embassy during the summer of 2017. Upon graduation, she will become a U.S. diplomat, embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding careers of service to her country.

“We are thrilled to have Hayley join our program,” said Rangel Program Director Patricia Scroggs. “Our selection panel was very impressed by her intelligence, achievements, and commitment to service. Her experience at Howard provided an outstanding foundation for her in these areas. I am confident that she will excel in graduate school and will contribute to global peace and prosperity as a U.S. diplomat.”

About the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program

The Rangel Program is a joint initiative between the U.S. State Department and Howard University that aims to enhance the excellence and diversity of the U.S. Foreign Service. Begun in 2003, the Rangel Fellowship Program selects outstanding young people each year from around the country who exhibit the ideal qualities of a Foreign Service Officer. Managed by the Ralph J. Bunche Center at Howard University, the Rangel Fellowship supports those selected through graduate school and professional development activities that prepare them for their careers as Foreign Service Officers. With the academic, professional and financial support from the program, Fellows now serve as diplomats around the world, contributing to a more diverse representation and effective execution of U.S. foreign policy. More information can be found online at www.rangelprogram.org.