CIEE Announces the 2020 Frederick Douglass Global Fellows

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Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)

May 04, 2020, 16:44 ET

PORTLAND, Maine, May 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) is pleased to announce the winners of the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, which covers all the costs for 10 outstanding students from Minority Serving Institutions to participate in a customized summer study abroad program focused on leadership and intercultural communication. The following high-achieving students were selected for this prestigious award from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants:

Luis Gonzalez, Benedict College
Mistique Davis, California State University, Fresno
Micala Jones, Florida A&M University
Cameron Lovings, Hampton University
Kanyinsola Oye, Howard University
Ray Vincent De Jesus, Montclair State University
Markal Kelly, Morehouse University
Nichole Johnson, Spelman College
Hana Mohamad, University of Houston
Prevail Bonga, University of Illinois at Chicago

The 2020 Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program was originally scheduled for July 2020 in Cape Town, South Africa. However, due to the global impact of COVID-19, this cohort of Fellows will study abroad in 2021 instead.

"Now more than ever, the world needs individuals with strong leadership skills who have the ability to work across cultural divides," said James Pellow, CIEE's president and CEO. "Frederick Douglass was transformed by his international experience, and returned to the States in 1847 as a free man who spent the next 50 years of his life agitating for positive change in our world. We hope that the lives of these Fellows are changed as well, and that this experience will prepare them to become bold, globally conscious, service-oriented leaders."

The Frederick Douglass Fellowship, which launched in 2017, is representative of efforts by CIEE to expand access to an international education to underrepresented students. Nettie Washington Douglass, chairwoman and co-founder of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, and the great, great granddaughter of Frederick Douglass and great granddaughter of Booker T. Washington, declared, "My grandfathers realized the importance of education and how it changes lives, especially when that education includes developing the wisdom gained through an international perspective. We are excited to partner with CIEE in the development of leaders that are taught the value of intercultural awareness and molded to be change agents in their communities like Frederick Douglass."

To extend the impact of the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program, CIEE also awards all qualified applicants a $1,500 Summer Scholars grant that can be used toward any CIEE summer '21 program, as well as a $500 travel grant for airfare. Sixty five students studied abroad as Summer Scholars in summer 2020.

To learn more about the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, visit ciee.org/fdgf.

About the Council on International Educational Exchange

CIEE, the country's oldest and largest nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization, transforms lives and builds bridges by promoting the exchange of ideas and experiences. To help people develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world, CIEE sponsors a wide variety of opportunities for cultural exchange, including work exchange programs, teach abroad programs, and a worldwide portfolio of study abroad and internship programs for college and high school students. www.ciee.org.

Contact: Leslie Taylor, (207) 553-4274, [email protected]

SOURCE Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)