Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

Stony Brook alumna Emily Carll ’20, who majored in Political Science and Asian and Asian-American Studies, has been selected for the nationally competitive Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Program Fellowship. Carll will become SBU’s first-ever Pickering Fellow, and receive $84,000 to pursue a Master’s degree in the field of international affairs.

Carll is a previous recipient of the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) in Hindi, and is currently serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Serbia. She is also guaranteed placement as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State upon completion of her degree.

“I am so proud of Emily and excited to see where she goes from here,” said Jen Green, director for Fellowships Advising and Professional Development at the Stony Brook University Graduate School. “She is already one of our most decorated alumni in terms of success in external fellowships competitions. Emily was also selected for a highly competitive State Department internship, during which she had the opportunity to serve in Washington, D.C. and at the U.S. embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I am thrilled, but not entirely surprised, that she was selected as Stony Brook’s first Pickering Fellow.”

“Emily is our first fellow from Stony Brook, and I am confident that the education and skills she gained there helped her compete in this rigorous selection process,” said Lily Lopez-McGee, director for the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Program. “Her experiences and skills are sure to help her success in graduate school and eventually the Foreign Service. We are looking forward to seeing all that she will accomplish. I hope that more Stony Brook students and alumni will follow Emily’s lead into this rewarding career of international service.”

Carll recognized the community of mentors who supported her throughout her undergraduate career at Stony Brook, particularly Harsh Bhasin (Political Science), Anna Geisherik (European Languages), and Gregory Ruf (Asian and Asian-American Studies).

In order to be selected as a Pickering Fellow, candidates must successfully navigate a high-stakes interview at the national level, and a committee of Stony Brook faculty and staff helped Carll prepare, including Jennifer Carlino (Undergraduate Academic Affairs), Rosalia Davi (Graduate School), Miguel Garcia-Diaz (Pharmacology and the Graduate School), Lisa Ospitale (Graduate School), and Tara Rider (SoMAS).