Charlotte McDermott '23 is the first Bryn Mawr student to be named a James C. Gaither Junior Fellow by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The organization awards approximately 14 one-year fellowships annually to uniquely qualified graduating seniors and individuals who have graduated during the past academic year. Fellows are selected from a pool of nominees nominated by several hundred participating universities and colleges. James C. Gaither Junior Fellows work as research assistants to Carnegie’s senior scholars. They have the opportunity to conduct research for books, co-author journal articles and policy papers, participate in meetings with high-level officials, contribute to congressional testimony, and organize briefings attended by scholars, journalists, and government officials.
McDermott is an international studies major with minors in political science and Russian. She is from Lansdowne, a Pennsylvania suburb located just outside of West Philadelphia. During her fellowship, she will be working with the American Statecraft Program, which focuses on researching and making recommendations on American foreign policy.
"I feel prepared for this fellowship because of the internships I have done while at Bryn Mawr, including my work with the Haverford Center for Peace and Global Citizenship and my research fellowship at the American Bar Foundation in Chicago," says McDermott. "I’m grateful to Bryn Mawr for the many excellent classes I’ve been able to take on international relations, for the opportunity to be published in the TriCo Law Review, and for the perspective and confidence that Bryn Mawr and my professors here have given me."
McDermott credits fellowship advisor Eleanor Stanford with helping guide her through the process of applying for the fellowship and her overall experience at Bryn Mawr for giving her the confidence to apply for competitive positions like the Gaither Fellowship.
"Attending a women's college with small class sizes has encouraged me to speak my mind, my classmates challenge me to form the best argument I can, and the genuine interest that Bryn Mawr professors have had in my development has made me a better researcher and writer."
After the fellowship, McDermott wants to continue developing a career in international relations with and to work with others to address the most pressing problems that face our world.