UMD Undergraduate Student Wins Prestigious U.S. Department of State Fellowship

15 August 2024 
The Washington Center

Following a nationally competitive application process, University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) student Anh Le is one of 15 individuals selected by the U.S. Department of State for the Foreign Affairs Information Technology Fellowship 2024 cohort.

In this two-year fellowship program funded by the Department of State, Le will receive up to $43,500 annually in academic funding for the last two years of her accelerated bachelor’s plus master’s degree program at UMD. The fellowship also includes two summer internships with stipend support – a domestic internship in Washington, D.C., at the Department of State and an overseas internship at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Le will receive professional development and personalized mentoring during the fellowship. Upon successful completion of the fellowship and the Foreign Service entry requirements, she will receive an appointment in the Foreign Service as a Diplomatic Technology Officer.

Born in Hanoi, Vietnam, Le is a first-generation Vietnamese American who immigrated to Maryland with her family. As a first-generation college student, she is pursuing a combined Bachelor and Master of Science in Computer Science and minoring in Advanced Cybersecurity Experiences for Students at the University of Maryland, College Park. Le is a member of the Association for Women in Computing and spent a summer as a computing instructor for the Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity in Computing I4C Summer Academy. She is bilingual in English and Vietnamese and enjoys jogging outside in nature, listening to music, trying new foods, and watching movies.

"I was inspired to pursue the FAIT Fellowship because of my deep-rooted passion for information technology and its pivotal role in global engagement,” says Le. “I am ecstatic for the opportunity to navigate diverse environments and leverage my skills and experiences to fulfill the duties of a Diplomatic Technology Officer."

Of the 15 FAIT Fellows for the 2024 cohort, five are in the graduate fellowship and ten are in the undergraduate fellowship. 

The talented, diverse group of students selected for the 2024 cohort of the FAIT Fellowship will provide lasting impact. We’re honored to have been able to recruit the eighth cohort of this important diversity fellowship program."

Kim Churches, president of The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, which administers the FAIT Fellowship.

The FAIT Fellowship aims to attract top technology talent that represents the ethnic, racial, gender, social, and geographic diversity of the United States. The FAIT Fellowship encourages applications from women, minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, and those with financial need.

The 2025 application cycle for the FAIT Fellowship program is planned to begin in September 2024. Announcements will be posted online at https://www.faitfellowship.org/ and shared on social media on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.