U.S. Dept. of State puts recent Baylor grad on fast track to foreign service

Jessie Kuykendall, BA ’10, just about did it all during her four years at Baylor. Her resume is impressive: National Merit Scholar, president of her sorority, Baylor Interdisciplinary Core graduate, Honors student with distinction. After earning her degree in international studies (with minors in history and Spanish) in May, she began graduate school at George Washington University this fall.

Thanks to her experiences at Baylor, she entered grad school as a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow. One of just 20 such honorees nationwide, the award — funded by the U.S. Department of State — includes financial support for her graduate degree as well as two internships with the State Department (one domestic, one international). After graduation and a series of interviews, she will be commissioned as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State, joining other “front-line” personnel who are posted as diplomatic representatives of the United States all across the world.

Sic ’em, Jessie!