Angela Chin, a third-year at UNC Chapel Hill, attended the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program this summer. The selective six-week summer program is designed to prepare scholars for careers in international affairs by combining courses and experiential opportunities that explore core skills and current issues in international affairs careers.
Angela, from Mitchellville, Maryland, is pursuing in public policy and global studies majors. At UNC, she is on the Student Attorney General Staff for the Undergraduate Honor System and a mentor for the Minority Advisory Program. She was awarded an Undergraduate International Studies Fellowship through the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History and is a member of the Kappa Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. The Carolina Scholar is also the founder and administrative director of Project uPGrade, a women’s empowerment organization based in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
During the Rangel Summer Enrichment Program, students live at Howard University, attend classes, and participate in a variety of programs with foreign affairs professionals at Howard and around Washington, DC. The program covers tuition and living expenses and offers scholars a stipend. It encourages members of minority groups, women, and those with financial need to apply.
The Office of Distinguished Scholarships caught up with Angela midway through the summer to ask some questions about the program from her perspective.
Question: What have been the highlights of the Rangel Summer Enrichment Program?
Answer: The site visits have been my favorite aspect the program. My cohort and I have visited government agencies and organizations that formulate U.S. foreign policy such as the State Department, CIA, World Bank, USAID, Institute of Peace, and the Foreign Service Institute. I even attended the swearing-in of the new U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe. Another huge highlight of my program has been the people. The Rangel program is really a family and I am honored to be connect with so many amazing leaders in foreign policy.
Q: How has the program helped you as someone who is interested in international affairs?
A: The program has exposed me to the wide variety of opportunities in international affairs. Through workshops such as public speaking, goal-setting, and interview skills, I have developed confidence in my ability to achieve my career goals. The Rangel program has connected me with professionals in foreign affairs who are very honest about what it is like to be a woman and person of color in their careers which has helped me to envision myself in those roles one day.
Q: What are your future plans, both for other programs and short-/long-term career goals?
A: After this summer I will study abroad in Amman, Jordan through the CET Arabic Language Intensive Program. I hope to encourage other UNC students to study abroad and pursue careers in international affairs when I return to campus in the spring. After I graduate, I would like to take a year or two to do some more traveling before completing a Master’s in International Affairs and joining the U.S. Foreign Service as a public diplomacy officer.
