Michigan State University Honors College members Milan Griffes, a history senior in the College of Social Science, and Caleigh Nowlin, an international relations senior in the James Madison College, have been nominated for the Carnegie Junior Fellows Program.
“The Carnegie Junior Fellows Program offers a tremendous opportunity for MSU students to engage with the international community as research assistants to the Carnegie Endowment’s senior scholars,” said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the MSU Honors College. “We are proud to put Milan and Caleigh forward as nominees for this program.”
Griffes is a graduate of Huron High School in Ann Arbor and is the recipient of an MSU Alumni Distinguished Scholarship. He’s served as a research assistant in the Department of History and Department of Romance and Classical Studies. Last year, he participated in an intensive study abroad program at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome. He also won first place for his presentation at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum.
Griffes works as a student assistant with the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget and is a consultant for the Student Consulting for Non-Profit Organizations, MSU Chapter. He’s also a member of the student editorial board for the Red Cedar Undergraduate Research Journal .
“A junior fellowship at Carnegie promises to be useful not only in the intellectual moment, but for my future career as well,” Griffes said. “I am interested in the public space, the tremendous machinery of governance. I am considering a career in diplomacy, policy research or academia. As a Carnegie junior fellow, I will get an intimate look at these sectors of the public sphere.”
Nowlin graduated from Alma High School in Alma. She has served as a research intern in Washington, D.C. and Barcelona, Spain.
She is the community liaison for the Associated Students of Michigan State University and serves as a dance instructor. Nowlin previously held internships with the MSU Office of International Students and Scholars and the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is the recipient of the 2013 MSU Kevin Rushton Award for Field Experience.
“As a student who actively investigates the global prospects for democracy, I strongly identify with the perspective of the Carnegie Endowment that effective policy must be derived from globally and regionally competent research, as well as the notion that successful policy initiatives must also reflect the various dimensions of relationships between global actors,” Nowlin said. “This experience would be paramount in stimulating my career as an activist for peace and democracy in a constantly fluctuating global society.”
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 eight to 10 fellowships to uniquely qualified graduating seniors and recent graduates. It’s a paid one-year position.
MSU has produced one Carnegie Jr. Fellow.