January 12, 2013

Meet Drexel’s nominees for the 2013 Carnegie Jr Fellows Program:

Elias Okwara, IAS ’13 (Justice and Human Rights Concentration), with Legal Studies Minor

Elias is proposing to work as a Carnegie Junior Fellow in the Nuclear Security Program. Originally from Kenya, Elias has made the most of his time at Drexel, both on campus and off.  His 2^nd co-op was with the European Parliament in Belgium, working for the former Prime Minister of Finland, work to which he returned the following year. He is currently on his 3^rd co-op with a health science firm in Pennsylvania, helping strategize compliance with global data processing regulations and transparency. Elias also works on a periodic basis with the World Affairs Council and the Global Governance Institute, and was selected to facilitate the “Security Jam,” an international student forum on lessons learned from Libya.

On campus, Elias served as President of Drexel’s chapter of United Nations Association (UNA-USA), participated in Mock Trial, Model UN and Model OAS. Elias is also Head RA for Race and Van Rensselaer Halls and was a STAR Scholar.

Ziyad Ziyadzade, IAS ’13 (Justice and Human Rights Concentration), Political Science minor.

Ziyad is proposing to work in Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia program. Originally from Azerbaijan, Ziyad is an International Area Studies major with a Minor in Political Science.  He is particularly interested in the moral dimension of regional and international conflict.

Ziyad has worked for the District Prosecutor in Baku, Azerbaijan and for the International Visitors Council here in Philadelphia. He is fluent in Azerbaijani, Russian, and English, and is conversational in French and Turkish. He hopes to attend Law School and to have a career in international affairs and policy.

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The Carnegie Junior Fellows Program is a highly-competitive award that enables recent graduates to work for a year with a senior fellow in one of the program areas of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. For more information please email Rona Buchalter, Director, Fellowships Office.