Alumni, faculty member receive competitive fellowships

December 10, 2024 (Volume 48, Number 8)
Article by Annie Pettit

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Three alumni with degrees in international relations and one faculty member received competitive fellowships to teach, study and conduct research abroad. 

Brenda Tooley, associate director for the Center for Undergraduate Scholar Engagement, has assisted many students throughout their fellowship journeys as they complete essays and applications. 

“Fellowships open doors to careers in public service, advanced academic study, foreign service, international teaching and development and other career and service pathways,” Tooley said.

Babasola Fateye
Babasola Fateye, associate professor of biomedical sciences, received the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship for the second time. 

During the spring/summer semester, Fateye will travel to Elizade University in Nigeria to help establish an economically sustainable live organism model for toxicology research. 

“The support from CUSE, my college and department, and colleagues across the university has been invaluable," he said. "Most of all, I appreciate the support from the amazing students who keep pushing me and helping me reinvent my research portfolio.”  

Lauren Weimer
Lauren Weimer ’23 earned a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and participated in a Global Food Security Seminar in Harare, Zimbabwe. 

Her fellowship focused on agricultural research in response to food security issues in southern Africa. “I had an incredible time in Zimbabwe learning from activists, entrepreneurs and farmers who are combating food insecurity through everyday practices,” Weimer said.

Ashley Patterson 
Ashley Patterson earned a bachelor's degree in April and will head to the Dominican Republic in the spring to work for the Peace Corps. 

Patterson's work will focus on projects related to community economic development and education. Patterson said she hopes this experience will help her decide her education and career paths moving forward. 

“I knew I didn’t want to jump right into a master’s degree without narrowing down my interests and knowing what I wanted to study and do as a career,” Patterson said. 

Elliot Melendez 
Elliot Melendez also earned a bachelor's degree in April. He is currently on a year-long trip in Japan as a Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) fellow teaching English. JET is the only education exchange program organized by the Japanese government, and over 75 countries participate in the program. 

Tooley said students who are interested in applying for fellowships can begin their research on the Frederik Meijer Office of Fellowships website. “It is a pleasure to help students and alumni identify fellowship opportunities that match their interests and aspirations," she said.

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