The Weiser Diplomacy Center (WDC) is pleased to announce six impressive 2021 fellows from various backgrounds who are interested in international security, development, and/or human rights: Radhika Arora (MPP ‘23), Hannah Cumming (JD/MPP ‘24), Alhan Fakhr (MPP ‘23), Jonathan Garon (MPP ‘23), Michael Hauser (MPP ‘23), and Margo Steinhaus (MPP ‘23).
The WDC fellowship is a highly competitive award, offering tuition support to admitted MPP and MPA students with demonstrated academic achievement who express deep interest in pursuing knowledge and practical policy skills related to diplomacy and foreign affairs.
Fellows regularly contribute to our events and participate in activities (symposia, conferences, seminars, policy simulation exercises, workshops and career talks among others). They meet with many of the top international policy practitioners who speak at events, and they represent Ford School on and off campus in a variety of student groups and competitions.
Meet the fellows
After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with degrees in business and Arabic, Arora advised federal agencies and international NGOs on strategic challenges at Deloitte. She also has worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and advanced her member’s priorities in the Committee on Financial Services and Congressional Black Caucus. As a 2021 U.S. Department of State Rangel Fellow Arora will join the U.S. Foreign Service upon completion of her MPP.
Originally from Nouakchott, Mauritania, Cumming is passionate about international law and human rights. Formerly, she has worked with UN Women and other NGOs in refugee relief focused in the Middle East. She graduated magna cum laude from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs, where she also double minored in Near Eastern studies and Arabic.
Fakhr was an inaugural graduate of New York University Shanghai. He has worked in tech, economic research, non-profit, and human rights organizations all over the world, including in Pakistan, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, and the United States. Fakhr is interested in understanding how technology and policy solutions can be leveraged to solve human rights crises plaguing South Asia.
After graduating from the University of Rochester, Garon worked at the Economic section of the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, serving various roles, including as the Director of Commercial Affairs. Garon’s interests lie in history, trade and international policy. He hopes to work for the U.S. government following graduation from the Ford School.
Hauser is a 2012 Air Force Academy graduate and Army veteran, giving more than seven years of active duty service. He is interested in researching colonial legacies, human rights, and ethics. After graduating from the Ford School, he hopes to become a foreign service officer and promote liberal democratic values and human rights abroad.
Steinhaus is a DePaul University alum with degrees in international studies, sociology, and german. After graduation, she spent time as a Gilman and Fulbright Scholarship recipient to Turkey, and taught English in Istanbul and rural Thailand. Following her time overseas, she worked in the monitoring and evaluation side of international development on USAID-funded projects. Her policy interests include comparative social policy, refugee resettlement, and economic mobility.
The fellows in WDC’s 2020 class have been very engaged, even during the remote pandemic year. They include Milagros Chocce (MPP '22), Anthony (AJ) Convertino (MPP '22), Hannah Kraus (MPP '22), Rebecca Mendelsohn (MPP '22), and Anuj Sahay (MPA '21).
Read more about all of the WDC fellows.
