OXFORD, Miss. – Two students in the Croft Institute for
International Studies at the University of Mississippi have
received competitive fellowships from the Institute of
International Public Policy.
Kyra McDonald of Madison and Deeaneaus Polk of Pascagoula,
both rising juniors, are among 30 students chosen
nationally as IIPP Fellows. They are to attend seminars on
international policy for seven weeks this summer at Spelman
College in Atlanta, where the institute is based. They also
plan to attend seminars on international policy and visit
New York and Washington, D.C.
IIPP is a 14-year-old organization funded by the U.S.
Department of Education to “increase the representation of
minorities in international affairs and global public
policy in the government, private and non-profit sectors,”
according to its Web site, http//:www.uncfsp.org. It is
administered by the United Negro College Fund Special
Programs organization. Students apply as sophomores and
receive specialized training in economics and international
politics to break into the field of international affairs.
Polk said he feels the fellowship will help him land a spot
in a top graduate school or law school after graduating
from UM.
“The places they can get you into after undergrad is worth
it alone,” he said. “It prepares you to go off and enter
into an Ivy League education.”
McDonald also has plans to use the program to excel in both
higher education and international policy.
“Generally in five years, I see myself on the last leg of
my master’s degree and beginning a career with the U.S.
government in the area of international affairs and Latin
American studies,” she said. “I am nervous because I will
be embarking on a new journey in my life, but that’s what
makes it exciting.”
Both students said they were impressed with the Croft
Institute, describing their professors as “incredibly
dedicated” and supportive.
“What makes these kids such compelling candidates is that
they are a little different than your typical Croft
student,” said Kees Gispen, executive director of the Croft
Institute. While most students in the Croft program come in
as freshmen, both McDonald and Polk entered the program
after already starting college.
“(McDonald) is such an excellent student. I taught her in
International Studies 101 and 20, and she did so well, I
wrote her a letter of recommendation for the program.”
He also noted that Polk, a transfer student from
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, is an impressive
candidate, too.
“We (Croft) are honored to have him and extremely pleased,”
he said. “I think what we can do for him is help him become
ready to go on to complete an impressive graduate program.”
The Croft Institute has been home to four other Ole Miss
students who have won IIPP Fellowships in the past, said
Michael Metcalf, associate provost for international
affairs. When the university nominates students for these
awards, the Office of the Provost agrees to partially fund
the recipients’ travel abroad during their junior year of
study, Metcalf said.
Next year, Polk plans to study in Germany for the second
time, and McDonald is to study in Ecuador, her second trip
to South America.
For more information about the Croft Institute for
International Studies, go to: http://www.croft.olemiss.edu/home