Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program

The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program prepares young people, including University of Rochester alumni, for careers as foreign diplomats.

The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program, which awards the Rangel Graduate Fellowship, is sponsored by the US Department of State and administered by Howard University in Washington, DC. It seeks to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers as diplomats in the foreign service of the United States. The program was created in 2002 and is named after the former New York Congressman, who served from 1971 to 2017.

The Rangel Graduate Fellowship encourages applications from members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the foreign service, women, and those with financial need. The program selects outstanding recipients—known as “Rangel Fellows—annually in a highly competitive nationwide process and supports them through two years of graduate study, internships, mentoring, and professional development activities.

Recent Rangel Fellows

Congratulations to the most recent Rangel Fellow from the University of Rochester!

Marco Ramos ’19 was one of 45 people selected as a 2022 Rangel Fellow from more than 800 applicants. A dual US-Mexican citizen, he was born and raised in Mexico. He majored in international relations and minored in Chinese and legal studies, graduating in December 2019. Since January 2020, he has worked as a paralegal for Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, DC, focusing on international arbitration and pro bono work.

“Joining the foreign service is my lifelong dream,” he says, “and this fellowship allows me to do just that.”

Ramos will attend Georgetown University on scholarship as part of the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) program.

Past Rangel Fellows and Finalists

2016 Fellow

Justine A. King ’15
Area of study: International relations (BA)

2015 Finalist

Justine A. King ’15
Area of study: International relations (BA)