Photo: Master of global affairs students Jenna Ahn, Sonia Urquidi, and Jasmine Passa
Three of the Keough School’s master of global affairs students have received prestigious awards supporting their future research and professional development.
Sonia Urquidi, a member of the Keough School’s inaugural graduating class, has received a Fulbright Research Award to study school improvement in under-resourced schools in Santiago, Chile. Collaborating with education experts at La Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Urquidi will research how to foster school cultures that positively impact student learning. Urquidi also will collaborate with Enseña Chile, a network dedicated to improving school performance, building community, and promoting innovation and learning. As a student, Urquidi worked with Enseña Chile through the Keough School’s Integration Lab, visiting 16 schools and conducting dozens of interviews to gain culturally informed knowledge of classroom dynamics and teacher performance.
Jenna Ahn, also part of the first graduating class, has been awarded a Catholic Relief Services International Development Fellowship. This fellowship provides professional development opportunities for individuals pursuing a career in international relief and development work. Ahn was one of 20 individuals selected from among 1,400 applicants. She will work in Guatemala City, Guatemala, where she will support programs in food security, education, capacity-building, monitoring and evaluation, and emergency response. As a fellow, Ahn will receive professional training from Catholic Relief Services in program implementation, proposal development, operations, and partnership.
Jasmine Passa has been awarded a Boren Fellowship. An initiative of the National Security Education Program, the Boren Fellowship provides US graduate students the opportunity to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to US interests. Languages include those spoken in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Passa, who already speaks Serbian, plans to pursue additional language study in the Middle East.
The Keough School’s inaugural master of global affairs class graduated from Notre Dame on May 19, 2019. The Master of Global Affairs program is a two-year professional degree program that prepares students for skilled, effective leadership and careers in government, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, and the private sector.
