Tiffany M. Cox selected as 2016 Pickering Graduate Fellow

Tiffany Marie Cox, a 2016 alumna of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been selected for the distinguished Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. Through its undergraduate and graduate fellowships, the program aims to prepare individuals pursuing graduate studies for a career in the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service. This year, 10 Undergraduate Fellows and 20 Graduate Fellows were chosen.

Tiffany received the Pickering Graduate Fellowship, which offers up to $37,500 annually for tuition, room and board, books, mandatory fees and some travel expenses, for a two-year master’s degree in fields related to the Foreign Service such as business administration, economics, public policy, international affairs and more. Other program benefits include two internships, mentoring from a Foreign Service officer throughout the fellowship, and employment in the Department of State Foreign Service for those who successfully complete the program and Foreign Service entry requirements.

The program identifies talented people from all ethnic, racial and social backgrounds 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 people with financial need are encouraged to apply.

“By fully investing in the extraordinary potential of its candidates, this prestigious program ensures that the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service will represent the diversity and excellence of our country to the world,” said Mary Floyd-Wilson, director of Carolina’s Office of Distinguished Scholarships (ODS).

Tiffany, a 22-year-old native of Winston-Salem, double-majored in global studies and public policy and minored in Chinese in the College of Arts and Sciences. During her time at Carolina, she was co-chair of the Campus Y Global Circle and Vice President of Outgoing Exchange for AIESEC, the world’s largest student-run nonprofit organization focused on world issues, leadership and management. In her role at AIESEC, she facilitated over 30 international exchange opportunities for students at UNC-Chapel Hill to volunteer abroad as English instructors.

“My experience at UNC-Chapel Hill, specifically with the global studies and public policy programs, was fundamental towards developing my passion and professional background in foreign policy,” said Tiffany. “I would not have been able to succeed in the Pickering Graduate Fellowship application process without the knowledge and professional skills I have developed throughout the past four years.”

As a Pickering Graduate Fellow, Tiffany will study American foreign policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, traveling to its Bologna, Italy campus for her first year before returning to the D.C. campus. She hopes to use her overseas internship during her fellowship to work in Asia.

Read more about Tiffany here.

Learn more about the Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program here.

Learn about other nationally competitive and prestigious awards from ODS, and follow ODS on Twitter: @ODS_UNCCH.