Two Baylor students earn major national/international academic honors
While most Baylor students were wrapping up finals and planning their Christmas break last month, two Bears were earning major national awards for their academic accomplishments.
Sophia Fulton, a senior in the Business Fellows program at Baylor, was awarded the Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship. Endowed by the U.S. Department of State, this highly competitive national award supports top students pursuing a career in foreign service, funding two years of graduate study and two internships — one in Congress, and one at an embassy or consulate abroad. Fulton is the second Baylor student in the last two years to receive this award.
“Sophia is a perfect fit for this award,” says Dr. Andrew Hogue, MA ’05, PhD ’09, associate dean for engaged learning in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences. “We are thrilled that the selection committee saw in her what we at Baylor have long seen: She is brilliant, experienced, and possesses the poise and temperament that will make her a successful Foreign Service Officer working on behalf of the diplomatic interests of the United States.”
During her time at Baylor, Fulton has studied economics, finance, and Arabic and Middle East studies. She’s studied abroad in Morocco, interned for the Institute for the Study of War’s Iraq Team, and served on leadership teams for Baylor Model United Nations and Model Arab League. With the Rangel Fellowship, Fulton plans to study security policy and the Middle East in graduate school.
“I am honored to be selected for the Charles B. Rangel Fellowship because of its mission to build a more diverse and dynamic diplomatic corps,” says Fulton (pictured above left). “The Foreign Service pays a unique role in filling the gap between U.S. foreign policy decision-makers and the individuals personally affected by U.S. foreign decisions. The Rangel Fellowship will provide the opportunity to quickly begin this dream career.”
Jonathon Chew, also a senior in the Business Fellows program at Baylor, has been selected one of 12 members of the George J. Mitchell Scholar Class of 2022. This prestigious scholarship program of the US-Ireland Alliance sends future American leaders to Ireland for a year of graduate study. Chew is the first Baylor student to receive the scholarship.
“For my Mitchell program, I will pursue a M.Sc. in politics and data science at University College Dublin,” says Chew (pictured above right). “I’m honored and humbled to have been chosen for the award. I could not have done this without the help and guidance of knowledgeable, caring professors who invested in me and challenged me to do better in my studies.”
In addition to participating in the Baylor Business Fellows program, Chew majors in mathematics, Russian, computer science and political science. He has studied abroad in Belarus, and currently serves as an intern in the American Enterprise Institute’s Russian Studies program.
“Jonathan’s ability to work across these fields was undoubtedly a key to his success with the Mitchell committee — that, and the fact that he is brilliant, winsome and deeply committed to the public good,” says Hogue. “He is astonishing, and we at Baylor are deeply gratified that the Mitchell selection committee saw what we know to be true of him.”
Sic ’em, Sophia and Jonathan!