To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must be a community college student or a freshman, sophomore, or junior in college and have an interest in Asia and U.S. foreign policy with demonstrated academic achievement and leadership potential. Our awardees are selected from a highly qualified and competitive field of applicants.
2024 Undergraduate Diversity Fellows
Samantha Funez
Spelman College
Samantha Funez works with NBR’s Energy and Environmental Affairs team, leveraging and expanding her knowledge as a third year international studies major with a concentration in Mandarin and cultural studies and minoring in curatorial studies at Spelman College. Beyond her academic pursuits, Samantha actively participates in campus life, engaging with various cultural exploration and expression clubs such as the Chinese Club, AfroLatinidad, and Spriggs Burroughs. Her passion lies in unraveling the intersectionality of cultures and languages, and how these elements shape political relationships in an increasingly globalized world. In her upcoming academic year, Samantha is preparing for an internship experience abroad in Taiwan in the fall of 2024. As an Undergraduate Diversity Fellow at NBR, Samantha seeks to better understand the complexities of international trade and regional dynamics.
Kei-Dee Romero
University of California
Kei-Dee Romero is a rising senior at the University of California, Los Angeles. She previously attended El Camino College, where she earned two associate degrees and graduated with honors. At UCLA, she continues her studies as an honors student and Academic Advancement Program scholar, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Global Studies. She is involved with multiple campus and community organizations such as Hermanas Unidas, Latinas Guiding Latinas, and the Bruin Film Society. She is passionate about global public policy research and aspires to become a legal scholar and advocate for marginalized communities. This fall, she will pursue additional studies in politics, policy, and international law at the Universidad de Carlos III de Madrid. At NBR, Kei-Dee is excited to work with the Technology and Geoeconomic Affairs Team. She is interested in studying China’s increasing presence and digital expansion in Latin America and the greater Global South. As an Undergraduate Diversity Fellow at NBR, Kei-Dee hopes to encourage and represent other first-generation students, community college graduates, and Latinas interested in international relations and foreign policy.
2023 Undergraduate Diversity Fellows
Stephanie Boyd-Maignan
Ohio State University
Stephanie Boyd-Maignan works with NBR’s Political and Security Affairs team. She is a rising sophomore majoring at Ohio State University majoring in international studies and political science and minoring in Spanish. Stephanie is involved on campus with programs focused on cultural exploration and leadership, such as Model UN, OSU’s Spanish Club, and the College of Arts and Sciences Student Council. She enjoys learning about how cultural expression and language shape global political relationships. Stephanie is a fellow in the Eminence Fellows Program, which works to create non-profits for the Columbus community. Stephanie has been exploring how knowledge about foreign cultures makes college experiences more fulfilling through the Global Education Certificate Program and will begin working as a Global Ambassador with the Office of International Affairs in the Fall of 2023. As an Undergraduate Diversity Fellow at NBR, she hopes to learn how to solve violent conflict and work toward peace.
Wyatt Weekes
Bates College
Wyatt Weekes works with NBR’s Trade Center. He is a rising junior at Bates College majoring in politics, with a concentration in identities and interests. Wyatt studies the roles of culture and language in politics and has taken two years of Russian in addition to multiple courses on the international political economy. He has researched maritime trade conflicts with China and has written about the strategies employed within the oceanic portions of the Belt and Road Initiative. He has also studied the importance of geography and community planning in India. Before joining NBR, he participated in Model UN for five years and is currently in a leadership position for the Model UN. Next year, he plans on studying at Oxford and will continue his studies in the field of international relations and political philosophy.
Testimonials
2022 Undergraduate Diversity Fellows
Macy Thames
Spelman College
Macy Thames worked with the Center for Innovation, Trade, and Strategy team at NBR. She is a rising senior majoring in International Studies with a focus in Cultural Studies and a minor in Comparative Women’s Studies at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. Macy is involved in various organizations on campus, such as the National Council of Negro Women, Girls Going Global, and Sisters Keeping it Real Through Service (SKIRTS). She enjoys learning about new cultures and ways of living through reading and art. Currently, she is researching racial configurations and gender theory established in popular culture through the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program. Before working with NBR, Macy worked with Nationwide as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion intern and with Public Citizen as an Intern for Protect Democracy. Macy aspires to help enforce truly inclusive and aware work ethics and policies in major global organizations and businesses. As an Undergraduate Diversity Fellow at NBR, she hopes to inspire and influence people worldwide.
Fatihah Ullah
Montgomery College
Fatihah Ullah worked with the Political and Security Affairs team at NBR. She is a graduating sophomore at Montgomery College and intends to major in International Affairs with a concentration in conflict resolution in Asia and the Middle East after transferring to a four-year institution. She takes a strong interest in studying gender dynamics and its intersection with religious and cultural ideals. Before this fellowship, Fatihah worked on an independent research project at Johns Hopkins University, where she studied honor killings in Pakistan and utilized quantitative data to predict a potential solution. Her passion for research stems from a desire to dedicate her life to public service and advocacy in both her local community and at an international level. During her time at Montgomery College, she has focused on various projects targeting food insecurity as well as worked closely with students with disabilities through tutoring. As an Undergraduate Diversity Fellow at NBR, Fatihah is looking forward to exploring global conflict through a new lens while also expanding her knowledge in research and political discourse.
2021 Undergraduate Diversity Fellows
Kylie Del Rosario
Dartmouth College
Kylie Del Rosario worked with the Energy and Environmental Affairs team at NBR. She is a rising sophomore at Dartmouth College and plans to major in government. She is interested in U.S. foreign policy in Asia and diplomacy and is studying Japanese and international relations, as well as conducting research on U.S.-China relations. Prior to becoming an Undergraduate Diversity fellow, she worked on strategic partnerships for the National Youth Council for Real History Education, was a committee chair for the Unified Student Council for Yonkers Public Schools, and founded We Are the Future, a nonpartisan space for students to discuss global political issues. She aspires to work in the Embassy of the United States in Tokyo. During her time at NBR she conducted interviews with Ieda Gomes on Exploring the Future of Natural Gas in South Asia and Raymond Kuo on Strategic Clarity and the Future of U.S.-Taiwan Foreign Relations and contributed to the editing of the commentary In Defense of Strategic Ambiguity in the Taiwan Strait by Steven M. Goldstein.
Alura Winfrey
George Washington University
Alura Winfrey worked with the Center for Innovation, Trade, and Strategy team at NBR. She is a rising sophomore at George Washington University, where she intends to major in international affairs, with a regional concentration in Asia, and minor in sociocultural anthropology. She studies Mandarin Chinese and is currently researching the religious conversion and politicization of migrant and indigenous populations in Chile, China, and Singapore. Before joining NBR, she contributed to the U.S.-China Strategic Studies Organization newsletter and participated in Amnesty International and the Deans Council for Multicultural Recruitment at George Washington University. She plans to pursue a career as a foreign service officer or analyst with the Department of State under the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs or Bureau of Intelligence and Research. During her time at NBR she conducted an interview with Blaine Curcio titled Developments in China’s Commercial Space Sector.