We hope you enjoy these top news stories about TFAS activities, alumni and events this week. Please visit us on social media for additional up-to-the-moment TFAS news and information and sign up for our newsletter to receive weekly updates.

See TFAS alumni, staff, faculty and friends who are writing and making today’s headlines by visiting our “Quick Links.”

Young Leaders Explore History, Culture and Ideas in Santiago, Chile

While the Chilean streets rumbled with social unrest and demonstrations, these events did not hinder – but rather fueled – a positive cross-cultural study of the principles and foundations most conducive to human flourishing during the 2020 TFAS Santiago program.

Program participant Francesca McCallister ’18, ’20, called the experience a transformative opportunity to study new ideas and engage with peers from around the world.

“The open dialogue and discussions facilitated by the thought-provoking lectures set up a platform for free expression of ideas and perspectives,” said McCallister. “I found this to be the most beneficial and exciting part of my experience in Santiago–the interactions and relationships I developed with the variety of international participants challenged me to grow and strengthen my own beliefs.”

Read more and see highlights from the program at TFAS.org/Santiago20.

Alumni Roundtable and Networking Event Gives Students Confidence in Career Development

Touring historic landmarks, exploring the nation’s capital and attending exclusive guest lectures are just a few of the many advantages of participating in the TFAS Capital Semester program.

Another benefit of the program is access to a network of over 42,000 TFAS alumni working in a variety of fields worldwide. Students have the opportunity to hear advice from alumni mentors through a number of networking dinners and discussions during the semester. This spring, Capital Semester students participated in an Alumni Roundtable and “speed networking” event to discuss their career goals with successful D.C. alumni.

Capital Semester student Sydney Clark ’20 from Clemson University said that hearing from young professionals who were once TFAS students like herself, gave her confidence and clarity to establish a career path upon graduation.

“It was incredibly helpful to hear insight from people who were once students like all of us,” Clark said. “Hearing their advice helped me to feel more confident in my career path and gave me a clearer view toward my future.”

Thank you to our D.C. area alumni who volunteered their time to share advice with our Capital Semester students this spring.

Applications Now Open for 2020-21 Robert Novak Journalism Fellowships

The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) is now accepting applications for the 2020-21 Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship Program. This prestigious fellowship awards up to $75,000 for journalists to undertake enterprising and ground-breaking writing projects that are broadly supportive of the principles of a free society. Fellowship recipients spend a year researching and writing on a topic of their choosing.

By providing essential funding and an extensive network of alumni, Novak Fellowships provide promising journalists the resources to undertake career-building and impactful projects.

Will you help us reach more promising young journalists who would benefit from the Fellowship? Please share the links below and spread the word to print and online journalists with less than 10 years’ professional experience. The application deadline is April 6, 2020.

Interested applicants can visit TFAS.org/NovakApply to learn more and begin an application today.

Post of The Week

Venezuelan asylum seeker and political activist Jorge Galicia is on a TFAS college campus tour, speaking out about the dangers of government control. This week, TFAS flyers announcing the event were met with vandalism and hatred toward Galicia for expressing his views and experiences of socialism and tyranny. He shared the following message on social media as a reminder of the importance to continue this conversation of important ideas, saying that we “will not back down in defense of liberty.”

Quick Links

Jacqueline Leary ’12 is a recipient of the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Pro Bono Rising Star Award.

Mene Ukueberuwa, Novak ’19, analyzes Biden’s “edge” with Michigan voters in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal.

Natko Vlahovic ’98 analyzes how the election of Croatia’s new president will impact Balkan politics in an article for the Balkan Insider.

TFAS Trustee Emeritus and Purdue University Mitch Daniels is featured in a piece by Andrew Ferguson for The Atlantic on Daniels’ frugal approach to maintaining affordable tuition as president of Purdue University.

As governmental relations director for Florida Atlantic University’s student government, Alejandra Rodriguez ’19 has helped implement a method for women to alert bartenders when they feel unsafe on a date at local bars and restaurants.

Heather Dodgins ’06 is serving as the director of donor engagement and convention events for the Charlotte Host Committee.

Niki DaSilva ’14 is the manager of programs and policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Center for Education and Workforce.

Talia Katz ’18 has co-authored an essay on Iran’s state-run media for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Katherine Mangu-Ward, Novak ’05, opines for Reason on the future of the national interest and the upcoming 2020 election.

Emily Taylor ’12 is now the communications director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Ryan Lovelace, Novak ’17, reports for The Washington Times on the ACLU’s new advertising campaign pushing for federal surveillance reforms.

Matthew Walther, Novak ’16, opines for The Week on Joe Biden’s recent momentum in the Democratic primaries.

Joe Lai ’01, PPF ’07, has joined BGR Group in Washington, D.C. as a vice president, focusing on trade and defense issues. Prior to joining the government affairs firm, Lai served in the White House as a special assistant to the president for legislative affairs.

Laura Vanderkam, ’99, Novak ’06, shares advice on making weekly habits in her column for Forge.

Jasmine Aguilera ’13 reports for Time Magazine on CBS’s suspension of popular reality television show, “The Amazing Race,” due to COVID-19 concerns.

Mark Stansberry ’76 discusses how schools can create positive campus culture in the Newscape Higher Ed podcast.

Peter Suderman, Novak ’10, discusses Bernie Sanders’ “democratic socialism” model with American Enterprise Institute’s Dewitt Wallace Fellow, Jim Pethokoukis, in an interview for Reason.

Graham Kilmer ’15 reports for the Urban Milwaukee on a federal grant for Milwaukee County aimed at combatting the opioid crisis.

Jennifer Kabbany, Novak ’02, opines for the College Fix on Democratic and Republican college students’ perceptions of each other.

Rachel DiCarlo Currie opines for the Independent Women’s Forum on Nikki Haley’s defense of free-markets amid growing popularity of socialism in the U.S.

Follow @TFASorg on Twitter for more updates like these from our alumni and programs:

‘#Capitalism promotes innovation and human flourishing, a system in which “people can find jobs that match their talents and passions.” ‘

– Rachel DiCarlo Currie, Novak ’05, opines for @IWF on @NikkiHaley‘s Defense of Capitalism. https://t.co/aFgFusLbs2

— TFAS (@TFASorg) March 11, 2020