ONIF Student Spotlight
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
August 30, 2019
Name: Yolanda Nosakhare
Major: International Relations
Minor: Computer Science
Graduation Year: 2021
Fellowship Award: The Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship is an award administered through The Washington Center by the U.S. Department of State. This fellowship is awarded to five fellows nationwide every year and covers the expenses of tuition, housing, books, and transportation. It also provides both a domestic and international internship for the fellow, as well as employment to serve as a Foreign Service Specialist upon graduation.
What are your current or future career plans? Currently, I plan to prepare how I may best leave my mark on LMU's campus before entering my career in the Foreign Service. This year I will be serving as a Resident Advisor in McCarthy, Vice President of the Black Student Union, and an Intercultural Facilitator on campus. I hope I can do my work as a diplomat-in-training to expose students of all backgrounds to career opportunities in the Foreign Service. As I embark my journey as a representative for the United States, I hope to make meaningful connections that will eventually aide me in becoming an ambassador.
What have you enjoyed most about the program? What I've enjoyed the most about my program has been my fully-funded trips to the Department of State! I always feel so honored to be in the presence of experienced diplomats, and to have the pleasure of meeting former ambassadors. Careers in the government always sound surreal, but the people I've met working for State have come from just about every walk of life you could think of.
What has been the most challenging part of the program? Thus far, the most challenging aspect of my program has been formally taking on the new discipline of computer science. I don't have as much IT experience as some of the other fellows, but my willingness to learn has carried me through.
What would people be surprised to know about you? Although I involve myself in the realm of diplomacy, I am also heavily involved in the entertainment industry. I am a singer-songwriter under the alias "Yoyo Nosa". I've always been a huge believer that an intersectionality can be drawn between all disciplines, and hope to remain as an example of that.
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From top to bottom: 1. FAIT's third cohort. 2. Yolanda "offering another point of view during a dialogue with an ambassador"
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To learn more visit https://www.faitfellowship.org/ or contact ONIF.