DAYTONA BEACH — Last month, St. Petersburg native Mara Brody was awarded a 2020 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship following a highly competitive nationwide contest.
The Rangel Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University, supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. The Rangel Fellowship will support Brody through a two-year master’s degree in International Relations.
It will also provide extensive professional development opportunities, including internships, mentors, and skills training. As part of the Rangel Program, she will intern with a member of Congress on issues related to foreign affairs in summer 2020.
In summer 2021, the Department of State will send her overseas to intern in a U.S. Embassy or Consulate to get hands-on experience with U.S. foreign policy. Upon successful completion of the program, Brody will become a U.S. diplomat in the summer of 2022, embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding careers of service to her country.
During the competition, she impressed the selection panel with her strengths in academics and extracurricular activities and her commitment to promoting peace, prosperity, and the protection of U.S. citizens while serving as an American diplomat around the world.
Brody was born in St. Petersburg and is a senior International Studies major with a concentration in International Affairs and Homeland Security at Bethune Cookman University in Daytona Beach. At Bethune Cookman University, she is a recipient of an Excelsior Academic Scholarship Award.
She has received both President and Dean List recognitions and was awarded the distinguished Top Student in International Studies Award from 2017-19. Additionally, Brody was a Division 1 athlete playing for the Bethune Cookman University Softball Team and served on the Judicial Court.
During college, Brody participated in the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Internship as the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Fellow as well as the 2018 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program. She interned in the offices of Senator Bill Nelson and Congressman Charlie Crist.
Her commitment to public service and her ability to excel simultaneously as a student, athlete and emerging professional, lay a strong foundation for her success in graduate school and as a future global leader.
Brody’s journey has now led her to the Rangel Fellowship, and she is excited to prepare for her career in diplomacy. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in International Relations with a concentration in Latin American Studies.
She is proud to be a Rangel Fellow and a future Foreign Service Officer. She commented, “I look forward to attending graduate school and representing this country abroad. I am grateful to Bethune Cookman for giving me the academic background and leadership experiences that made me more competitive for this fellowship and the Foreign Service.”
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