100 SUNY Students Receive $1 Million in Scholarships
In 2011, the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW) awarded grants to the SUNY Levin Institute to establish the JFEW-SUNY International Relations and Global Affairs Scholarship Program for students at SUNY Binghamton and SUNY Stony Brook. The program helps students to become leaders in international relations and global affairs through mentoring opportunities and peer networks. During the course of the program, from 2011 to 2016, 100 SUNY students receive over $1,000,000 in scholarship money and extensive professional support through a two-year program, which includes a summer internship.
The program began with a pilot summer internship for students entering their senior year; 10 Binghamton and 10 Stony Brook students were selected. Following a four-day orientation at the SUNY Global Center in Manhattan, where they learned about international relations and how to succeed in a professional environment, the interns were placed with a variety of international organizations. Along with the experience they gained at their host organizations, they took part in topical weekly seminars, participated in networking events, kept a daily journal and completed several assignments. Students received $5,000 for the internship.
Deanna D’Onofrio ‘12, a psychology major from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., who interned with Charity Water, says, “The JFEW internship taught me essential skills regarding business etiquette, international relations and how to carry myself as a professional, all of which I will remember for the remainder of my career.”
The second element of the scholarship is the two-year academic program. Completed during students’ junior and senior years, it includes an academic-year seminar series, a paid summer internship with international organizations, professional development activities, and opportunities to create mentor and peer networks, with a focus on women, and leadership in international relations and global affairs.
Each year, 10 students are selected from both universities. During the previous years, students participated in monthly seminars that gave them an overview of key themes, vocabulary and resources in international relations and global affairs. They attended networking, professional development and mentoring sessions. #
For additional information, contact Dr. Maryalice Mazzarra, the JFEW SUNY Program Director at Maryalice.Mazzara@suny.edu.
