A Michigan State University student interested in international affairs has been awarded a nationally competitive research assistant fellowship through the Carnegie Junior Fellows Program within the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C.
Varsha Koduvayur is an Honors College senior majoring in international relations and comparative cultures and politics in James Madison College and Arabic in the College of Arts and Letters. She is MSU’s second Carnegie Jr. Fellow.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States. Each year, the endowment offers 10-12 fellowships from a pool of nominees from nearly 400 participating colleges. Carnegie junior fellows work as research assistants to the endowment’s senior associates.
“I am thrilled to be working at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as a junior fellow for the Middle East program,” Koduvayur said. “My work at the CEIP will provide a strong foundation for the future of my career in international relations, which I hope to further by entering government service after graduate studies in international relations and Arabic. I’m so grateful for my incredible family, the MSU Honors College, James Madison College and the National/International Fellowships and Scholarships Office, all of whom guided and supported me through this endeavor.”
She is from Auburn Hills, Michigan, having graduated from Avondale Senior High School.
For the 2014-15 academic year, Koduvayur is studying in Morocco as part of MSU’s Arabic Flagship Program.
Koduvayur has interned for The Prajnya Trust in India and the Center for Gender in Global Context at MSU; worked as a paralegal for the McGinty Law Firm in East Lansing, Michigan; and participated in the G20 Youth Summit in Germany. Koduvayur is the recipient of the Cole International Study Award through the Honors College.
“MSU has facilitated Varsha using her scholarly pursuits to better the world and this prestigious scholarship is another important step in her journey to doing that,” said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the Honors College. “On behalf of the MSU community, I want to congratulate Varsha for being named a Carnegie Jr. Fellow.”
The National and International Fellowship and Scholarship (NIFS) Office at Michigan State University, administered by the Honors College, helps interested undergraduate and graduate students to pursue major national and international opportunities by providing information and direct support throughout the competitive application processes. The Honors College serves academically talented, committed students who wish to pursue and achieve academic excellence.
