McKendree University Senior Maximilian Aviles Accepts Prestigious Pickering Fellowship

(WASHINGTON, D.C., May 3, 2017) - McKendree University senior Maximilian Aviles has accepted the prestigious 2017 Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship after undergoing a rigorous application and interview process. Read his Pickering Fellowship Personal Statement. 

Aviles, of San Bernardino, Calif., will graduate on May 13 from McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill., with a major in international relations and a minor in Spanish. As a student in the honors program, he maintained an outstanding grade point average, earning membership in four honor societies. He recently received the university’s 2017 Technos Prize for academic excellence and commitment to the cause of international understanding. Aviles plans to enter the master’s degree program in international relations at the University of San Diego.

Managed and funded by the Department of State and administered by The Washington Center, the Thomas R. Pickering Graduate and Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship offers talented students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to pursue a career in the U.S. Foreign Service. Consideration is given to qualified applicants who, in addition to outstanding leadership skills and academic achievement, demonstrate financial need. Women, members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service and students with financial need are encouraged to apply.

Recipients of the Pickering Fellowship receive two years of financial support, mentoring and professional development to prepare them for a career in the Foreign Service. Fellows also complete a domestic internship at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. and an overseas internship at a U.S. embassy.

Hundreds of applicants from more than 270 colleges and universities competed for this distinguished fellowship. Ten undergraduate and 20 graduate students, hailing from 28 undergraduate and graduate institutions and 17 states, were selected for the 2017 Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship. The 2017 cohort will begin their program in June 2017.

 

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