East Boston resident and former Ward Fellow for the City of Boston, Andy Vo was recently awarded the 2014 Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.
Vo is a Bachelor of Arts candidate in global affairs–international security track–at Yale University and is expected to graduate in May 2015.
A few years ago he was tapped to serve as a Ward Fellow and interned for then East Boston Liaison for former Mayor Thomas Menino, Ernani DeAraujo and later for Congressman Patrick Kennedy.
“I’m so proud of Andy,” said DeAraujo. “He worked for me as a Ward Fellow in the Mayor’s Office and later for Congressman Kennedy. He will do a great job representing the United States abroad.”
Administered for the U.S. Department of State by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships develop a source of men and women whose academic backgrounds fulfill the skill needs of the State Department and who are dedicated to representing America’s interests abroad.
Selected in their junior year, Pickering Undergraduate Fellows receive financial support towards tuition and other expenses during the senior year of college and the first year of graduate study. Additionally, Fellows participate in one domestic and one overseas internship. Upon the completion of their master’s degree, they commit to five years of service as a Foreign Service Officer.
Vo was one of 20 Undergraduate Fellows and 20 Graduate Fellows that have demonstrated skills critical to members of the U.S. diplomatic corps, including dedication, initiative, integrity, cultural adaptability, the ability to communicate well, and a thorough intellectual background.
Vo will now participate in one domestic and one overseas internship, receive mentoring from Foreign Service Officers and must complete a minimum five-year service commitment as a Foreign Service Officer. Fellows must meet all Foreign Service entry requirements to remain in the program. The mission of a U.S. diplomat in the Foreign Service is to promote peace, support prosperity, and protect American citizens while advancing the interests of the U.S. abroad.
The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program is named in honor of one of the most distinguished and capable American diplomats of the latter half of the 20th century. Ambassador Pickering holds the rank of Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service. He served as Ambassador to Nigeria, El Salvador, Israel, India, and the Russian Federation, finishing his career in the Foreign Service as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.