Jerrica “Ashley” Fox has been awarded a 2019 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellowship to prepare for a career in the U.S. Foreign Service. Fox is the first West Virginia University alumna to win a Pickering Fellowship in at least a decade.
Fox graduated from WVU in 2013 with two bachelor’s degrees in political science and international studies, with minors in English and philosophy. During her time at the University, she interned at the U.S. Consulate General Amsterdam and the West Virginia House of Delegates and represented WVU as a delegate to The European International Model United Nations Conference in The Hague.
“My time at WVU, and particularly within the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, has been an invaluable resource in the path that led me to the Pickering Fellowship,” Fox said. “My professors, advisors, and the overall Mountaineer community helped prepare me for my commitment to public service and I would not have been able to achieve my goals without them.”
Fox plans to attend a public policy program with an emphasis in technology policy in Fall 2019. She is currently applying to graduate schools.
A native of Beckley, Fox currently lives in Washington, D.C. where she works as a digital media coordinator at the Brookings Institution and serves on the associate board of City Kids Wilderness Project. Prior to Brookings, she served as press assistant to Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), and communications, and digital content coordinator at the Center for International Private Enterprise.
The Pickering Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of State and managed by the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University, will provide Fox with extensive professional development opportunities, including internships, mentors, and skills training.
As part of the Pickering Program, Fox will have an internship based in Washington, D.C. working with the U.S. Department of State in summer 2020. In the summer of 2021, the U.S. Department of State will send her overseas to work and to gain hands-on experience with U.S. foreign policy and the work of the Foreign Service. Upon graduation, Fox will become a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding careers of service to her country.
“We are truly thrilled and excited that Ashley will be joining the Pickering Fellowship Program. She demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership and commitment to service during her time at West Virginia University,” Pickering Fellowship Program Director, Lily Lopez-McGee said. “These experiences bode well for her success through graduate school and in the Foreign Service as well. I look forward to seeing all that she will accomplish in her career.”
Students who are interested in the Pickering Fellowship and other nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships should contact the ASPIRE Office by emailing ASPIRE@mail.wvu.edu to set up an appointment.
