Nabiha Qureshi ’23 Awarded Rangel Fellowship
ILR senior Nabiha Qureshi was awarded a 2023 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship following a competitive nationwide contest. The Rangel Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University, supports individuals who want to pursue careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State.
"The Rangel Program is thrilled to welcome Nabiha into our program,” said Rangel Program Director Patricia Scroggs, who is also director of diplomatic fellowships at Howard. “Her outstanding background, including her strong academic credentials from Cornell University, made her a highly competitive candidate. I have no doubt that she will excel in her graduate program and will contribute to promoting peace, prosperity and human dignity around the world as a foreign service officer."
Selected from nearly 900 candidates, Qureshi will be supported by the Rangel Fellowship as she completes a two-year master’s degree studying public policy with a focus on the intersection of migration and governmental labor policy on a global scale.
As part of the Rangel Program, Qureshi will work this summer for a member of Congress on issues related to foreign affairs. In the summer of 2024, the U.S. Department of State will send her overseas to work in a U.S. embassy or consulate to gain hands-on experience with U.S. foreign policy and the work of the Foreign Service. Upon successful completion of the program, Qureshi will become a U.S. diplomat in summer 2025, embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding careers of service to her country, working to promote peace, prosperity and human dignity around the world.
Qureshi said, “I'm incredibly grateful to have been selected for the Rangel Fellowship. It's always been my dream to work with the U.S. Foreign Service and I'm excited to be part of an amazing program that guides fellows through professional development and graduate study to prepare for a career in foreign policy.
“I'm excited to meet other students in the 2023 Rangel fellowship cohort, many of whom have various international experiences in different cultural contexts. I'm excited to be part of a cohort of students dedicated to enacting positive change in the realm of foreign policy.”
During her time at Cornell, Qureshi interned at various non-profit and legal firms to support her social justice advocacy efforts. Most recently, through the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program, Qureshi was an intern with Mission to the United Nations and with the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Read about past Rangel Fellowship winners, Lowell Jackson ’17 and Jeffrey Joseph ’15.