Current Recipients

Stephanie Anderson is a rising senior at New York University in Shanghai where she studies political science and Mandarin Chinese. While her initial focus was on US-China relations, the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic have allowed her to study at three, soon to be four, NYU campuses: Shanghai; Washington, DC; and London. She will be studying at NYU Abu Dhabi in the UAE in the fall of 2022. This global education allowed Stephanie to pursue a wider breadth of international relations. Her travels have also allowed her to live in immersive, critical language environments where she has studied Mandarin Chinese and soon to be studying Arabic in Abu Dhabi. 

Service over self has been one of Stephanie’s guiding mottos in her life. She strives to exemplify this in everything she does. She is an active member in her community at NYU Shanghai. She was just recently elected to be NYU Shanghai’s Student Body President for the 2022-2023 school year where she hopes to improve communication between the students, who are located all over the globe due to COVID-19 restrictions, and the administration. She currently works in a leadership role in the office of international admissions. In the past, she worked as an orientation ambassador aiming to smoothly integrate the first year students in the NYUSH community. Stephanie also worked as a research assistant in China qualitatively analyzing the on-going effects of COVID-19 on women’s status (social, economical, educational, etc.) in China. Additionally, she served as co-captain of the NYU Shanghai women’s soccer team when they won the city championship in 2021. 

While in China, Stephanie was able to put her Mandarin skills to use to pursue research that interested her. When working on the research project, 女性别平等进展如何?(How is Gender Equality Progressing in China), this gave Stephanie her first experience researching women’s rights in China. This led her to conduct her own research in the form of an ethnographic study designed to get a better understanding of women’s access to soccer in Shanghai and globally. Both of these projects increased the desire for Stephanie to be an advocate for women and girls in sports and the workplace, and advocate for the right to education for all. 

Stephanie is very excited to begin her work with Mission France serving the American people. She hopes to one day work at the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer. 

Stephanie is honored to have been selected as a Pamela Harriman Fellow. She is inspired by Ambassador Harriman’s successes as a woman in a male-dominated field and hopes to uphold her legacy of people-to-people diplomacy and communication via multilingualism. 

Kathryn Chernitsky graduated in 2022 from the University of St Andrews (Scotland) with a joint degree in International Relations and Psychology and will be continuing her academic interests pursuing a master’s in comparative politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science.  Her interest in foreign affairs began at a young age because of her parents’ commitment to traveling the world and providing their children with a global perspective.  The importance of discovering different cultures around the world has remained central to her interdisciplinary and language studies.

In addition to traveling to thirty countries, Kathryn has explored a vast array of interests at St Andrews.  She has enjoyed writing articles for the St Andrews Law Review on topics ranging from the #freeBritney movement against conservatorship to the efficacy of executive orders.  She has become a strong ally to the LGBTQ+ community through her work as Director of Finance and Fundraising for St Andrews Burlesque, aiming to maintain an open space for individuals to embrace and celebrate their identity.  Her work as a research assistant on projects related to military sexual trauma, veteran anti-war protest, and the social reintegration of Liberian child soldiers has allowed her to explore the value of qualitative research methods.  In her leisure time, Kathryn shot on the clay pigeon team and walked dogs for disabled members of the St Andrews community which helped her donate over 300 meals to American children in need by walking 10,000 steps a day.

Kathryn is thrilled to intern for the third time at the U.S. Embassy London.  London was the first city that she travelled to outside of North America and it has always been a special city to her, making the opportunity to continue her professional career here especially meaningful.  Prior to her internships with the Department of State, Kathryn interned at the American Legislative Exchange Council with their International Relations and Federalism team and was a fall fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Academy.  Her past internship with the Office of Network Engagement at the U.S. Embassy London allowed her to explore the interpersonal level of policy making, which connects to her interest in interdisciplinary leadership studies regarding the relationship between leader personality, decision making, and foreign policy.  She is eager to conduct policy and media analysis for Middle Eastern and South Asian affairs this summer in the International Hub; she has been interested in these two global regions since high school and looks forward to integrating information learned during the internship into her postgraduate dissertation. 

Living in Scotland since 2018 has given Kathryn a strong appreciation for US-UK relations and the individuals who maintain the special relationship between the two countries.  She is honored to carry on the legacy of Pamela Harriman and embody her values and work ethic in future diplomatic endeavors.   

Aashay Desai is a rising senior at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities studying marketing with a minor in political science and business law. He is driven by his passion for public service and his desire to build a society that provides everyone with an equal opportunity to succeed regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and political affiliation. 

Aashay’s passion for public service was catalyzed by his involvement in Rep. Dean Phillips' campaign during the 2018 midterm elections. As a community engagement intern, he got to interact with a variety of voters in a way that illustrated how impactful government and politics can be in the lives of others. In the spring of 2019, he interned in Rep. Phillips’ district office, which allowed him to witness firsthand how government can listen and respond to constituent concerns. Afterward, in the fall of 2019, he was a field fellow on Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s presidential campaign and eventually worked as a field organizer for President Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020. Both roles allowed him to work directly with voters and passionate volunteers committed to securing a future that works for everyone. Last summer, he interned in Sen. Klobuchar’s office in Washington, D.C., where he worked on policy projects centered around issues ranging from transportation and cybersecurity to consumer protection.

Aashay’s experiences within campaigns and government offices have shaped his understanding of the importance of transparent communication and collaboration with citizens. His appreciation for public service is, in large part, why he is so passionate about working at the Department of State, where he will be assisting the agency in its mission to address the myriad of issues impacting the United States on the global stage. 

At the University of Minnesota, Aashay has taken on leadership roles within several student organizations. He sits on the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) committee within the undergraduate business school's student government. In this role, he advocates for policies that build toward an inclusive environment on behalf of students and organizes town halls that allow students to relay their perspectives to faculty and staff. He also served as the senior vice president of Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity, wherein he oversaw the recruitment process and organized events for members of the fraternity. 

Aashay is honored to receive the Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowship. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of Ambassador Harriman’s trailblazing and empowering legacy at the Department of State this summer.  

Aleksandr Kuzmenchuk is a rising junior at the College of William & Mary, majoring in international relations and intending to declare a major in economics. On campus, he is also a member of the Division I gymnastics team and the Director of Operations for the Monitor Journal of International Studies. Happiest when engaging in lively debate, Alek is passionate about finding consensus, cultural curiosity, history and theory in foreign policy, and the ideological and asymmetrical dimension of international security. Exploring the latter, Alek recently published “Cyber and Information Warfare, Robotics, and Artificial Intelligence: The World by 2050.” He has also been involved in research assessing the South Asian military balance in wake of border disputes, and later in identifying threats to civic space in Ukraine and Serbia. He has held internships at the World Bank Development Research Group, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and William & Mary’s Global Research Institute.

In the gym, Alek values wholistic excellence, the team dynamic, and cooperation in pursuit of a common mission above all. He has been a gymnast since age two and has competed at the highest amateur and collegiate level nationally, benefiting from close relationships with a diverse range of teammates. Gymnastics and being raised in a family of Belarusian and Indian immigrants has inspired his drive to help bring about positive change in the world and give back. Along with lessons from his college coursework, especially International Security, Russian & Post-Soviet Politics, International Relations from Disciplinary Perspectives, and Decision Making, he looks forward to the opportunity to engage his diverse skill set and experience with a Pathways internship at the Department of State. Alek will also be participating in William & Mary’s D.C. Summer Institutes as a foreign policy fellow.

Alek is honored to be a recipient of the Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowship, and grateful for the opportunity to represent and work to embody Ambassador Harriman’s tireless commitment to diplomacy, political organizing, and service to her chosen country.