News Release
Charles Rangel, Congressman, 15th District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 2, 2006
Contact: Emile Milne
(202) 225-4365

RANGEL FELLOWS TO JOIN RANKS OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Will Administer the Oath

WASHINGTON - The first class of graduates of a landmark program supported by Congressman Charles Rangel, designed to increase diversity in the nation's diplomatic corps, will be sworn in as Foreign Service Officers during ceremonies at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Friday, November 3rd.

The eight so-called Rangel Fellows are graduates of the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program who will be part of a cadre of 92 new junior officers sworn in by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Two other participants in the Rangel Program were sworn in earlier and have been assigned to embassies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The new inductees will be deployed in 2007 to embassies around the world.

"This is a dream come true to see these young men and women, who are among the brightest and most talented, poised to represent our country overseas," said Congressman Rangel, the initiative's driving force, having organized Congressional backing to secure federal government appropriations for its support.

"Ever since I've been in Congress, the absence of minorities in our embassies and official offices has been astounding.  I thank Secretary Rice for being part of the beginning of the effort to correct that and her interest in expanding this initiative,"  Congressman Rangel said.

"These young people are so talented that they would all succeed in life, but through this program our country will benefit by having them to represent not just themselves, but America.   And like America, they are from a variety of racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and they are the best we have to offer," Congressman Rangel said.

Selected in a highly competitive process administered by Howard University in Washington, DC, and overseen by the State Department, the Rangel Fellows--all outstanding students--each received tuition grants of $28,000 a year toward graduate studies. 

In addition, they completed a program of overseas travel, State Department internships at U.S. embassies and in Congress, and mentoring specially designed to prepare them for careers in the Foreign Service.  All were required to meet rigorous State Department entry requirements.

"It used to be said that kids like these weren't smart enough to compete or that they couldn't make it in a diplomatic environment," Congressman Rangel.  "Well, they might not have been able to make it without financial help, but we now know they are smart enough, and I'm confident they'll prove to everyone that they can be among the best diplomats our country ever produced.  They're going to make us all proud."

The Rangel Fellows to be sworn in on Friday are:

Emilia Adams, of Memphis, Tennessee; graduate of Howard University and Georgia State University.  Assigned to Mexico City.

Candace Bates, of Mobile, Alabama; graduate of Florida A&M University and the University of  North Carolina School of Law.  Assigned to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Michael Fraser, of Brooklyn, New York; graduate of Tufts University and New York University.  Assigned to Panama City, Panama.

Breanna Green, of Robbinsdale, Minnesota; graduate of Spelman University and American University;  Assigned to Ouagadougou, Burkina Fasa.

Hala Rharrit, of Casablanca, Morocco; graduate of Georgetown University.  Assigned to Sanaa, Yemen.

Christen Rhodes, of Merced, California; graduate of Denison University and George Washington University.  Assigned to Berlin.

Dionandrea Shorts, of Denver; graduate of Howard University and the University of Denver.  Assigned to Lima, Peru.

Chelsia Wheeler, of Santa Fe, New Mexico; graduate of St. Johns College and American University.  Assigned to Rangoon, Burma.

Sworn in earlier were: Kanika Mak-Lavy, born in Thailand; graduate of  Georgetown University and Yale University;  Assigned to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  Sworn in October 2005.     

Chuka Asike, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; graduate of Howard University and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.  Assigned to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Sworn in June 2006.

The Congressman had tried for much of his tenure in Congress to establish a mechanism to recruit, retain, and promote more minorities in the diplomatic corps. His efforts succeeded in 2002 when, standing beside Secretary of State Colin Powell, he announced the creation of the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program.

"Every Secretary of State I talked with in the years before agreed with me, and said they wanted to help," Congressman Rangel said.  "But in every case, they left office before anything happened.  Secretary of State Madeleine Albright got the ball rolling in the Clinton Administration by accepting a program outline and proposal submitted by Howard, and Secretary Powell followed through."

Among the individuals most closely involved with that success were Patrick Swygert, president of Howard University; Horace Dawson, director of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center, on Howard's campus, where the program is administered; and Ambassador Ruth Davis, a former State Department Director General who has served as an advisor, on loan from the State Department.

The fellowship program has enjoyed bi-partisan support in Congress, yielding $5 million in appropriations.   Congressman Jose Serrano, Democrat from New York,  Congressman Alan Mollohan, Democrat from West Virginia, and Congressman Frank Wolf, Republican from Virginia, have been among Congressman Rangel's strongest Congressional allies.   It has also received financial support of more than $1 million from the MacArthur Foundation, and the Una Chapman Cox Foundation.  Several universities provide supplemental tuition assistance.

Twenty Rangel Fellows currently are studying for their graduate degrees, ten of whom are expected to join the ranks of the Foreign Service next year.  The program plans to select another ten Rangel Fellows in spring 2007.

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