Jonathan McMaster ’11 has earned a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. The program, which supports students who wish to enter the United States Foreign Service, is funded by the State Department and recognizes 20 undergraduates per year. Fellows are required to complete internships stateside and abroad and must commit to three years as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) upon the completion of their studies.

FSOs are the on-the-ground personnel in stations across the globe charged with carrying out the foreign policy of the United States. A coveted spot as a commissioned officer is contingent on passing a written exam. Although most Americans are free to apply, the fellowship was established, according a release, to “develop a source of well-prepared men and women from academic disciplines who fulfill the skill needs of the United States Department of State.”

The program is named after Thomas R. Pickering, a career diplomat who served as an ambassador to five countries, as well as the United Nations. He retired in 2001.

McMaster, a former ASSU senator, is part of the 17th class of undergraduate honorees.

-Wyndam Makowsky