Louis DeJoy, North Carolina business leader and current U.S. Postmaster General, his wife, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia Dr. Aldona Woś, and The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) announced the 2024 recipients of the DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation Scholarship. Recipients were chosen from a competitive pool of applicants, with all students having connections to North Carolina or Estonia. They received scholarships for tuition and housing to attend TFAS programs in Washington, D.C., this summer.
Eight exceptional students with ties to North Carolina and one from Estonia were awarded scholarships this year. Simon Cook, Caitlin Kaus and Lauren Zola were selected from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Margaret Cole from Duke University, Anil Gordon from North Carolina State University, Lucas Juntunen from East Carolina University, Anna Claire Miller from High Point University and Elizabeth Shum from Elon University. Kertu Niit, a native Estonian, was selected from Estonia’s, University of Tartu.
As someone who’s never lived outside of North Carolina, this opportunity to live, learn, and work in Washington D.C. has been absolutely incredible. Over the last several weeks, I’ve encountered opportunities I never dreamed were possible.” – Caitlin Kaus ’24
The DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation of Greensboro, North Carolina, has generously funded the DeJoy-Woś Scholarship program for 19 years.
“We are proud to offer this incredible learning opportunity for nine deserving young leaders to engage in valuable leadership development and internship experiences across Washington this summer,” said DeJoy. “These students will go on to be leaders in business, public policy, law, and journalism and will shape society for the better.”
The TFAS program pairs students with internship opportunities in their field of study. Through TFAS, the 2024 Scholars interned with many prominent companies and organizations in the greater Washington, D.C., area, including news organizations, think tanks, the U.S. Congress, government relations firms and more.
Caitlin Kaus, a rising senior at UNC Chapel Hill and a DeJoy-Woś Scholar, says the TFAS program has been a life changing opportunity for her.
“As someone who’s never lived outside of North Carolina, this opportunity to live, learn, and work in Washington D.C. has been absolutely incredible,” Kaus said. “Over the last several weeks, I’ve encountered opportunities I never dreamed were possible.”
TFAS President Roger Ream ’76 thanked the DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation for their continued commitment to TFAS programs.
“We’re grateful for the continued support of the DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation,” Ream said. “This year’s DeJoy-Woś Scholars will build on this program’s legacy of developing courageous leaders for future generations, and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish this summer and for years to come.”
Mr. DeJoy currently serves as the 75th U.S. Postmaster General, a role he was appointed to in May 2020 by the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service. Formerly, he was the chairman and chief executive officer of New Breed Logistics. Dr. Woś is currently the President of the Institute of World Politics and served as U.S. Ambassador to Estonia from 2004-2006.
Margaret Cole, a rising junior at Duke University who is a DeJoy-Woś Scholar this summer, said she was excited about the opportunity to participate in TFAS.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work in the heart of D.C. this summer for the House Committee on Veterans Affairs because, as a student in the Air Force ROTC program at my college, this will be my first opportunity to explore working within the military from a civilian perspective,” Cole said. “I can’t wait to meet and interact with members of our government who will ultimately have a huge impact on my future career as an Air Force Officer, and that is all thanks to the DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation and TFAS.”
This summer, TFAS welcomed a record enrollment of 1,500 students in its high school and college programs. Graduates will join a global network of nearly 50,000 TFAS alumni who are leaders in politics, government, public policy, business, philanthropy and the media.
2024 DeJoy-Woś Scholars
Margaret Cole
Education: Duke University
Major: Sociology + Political Science
Hometown: Westminster, Colorado
Internship: House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
Margaret just finished her sophomore year of college and is thrilled to be spending the summer exploring government and policy through TFAS. Most of her time is occupied by being a cadet in Air Force ROTC with aspirations of becoming a fighter pilot after graduating from college. During the school year, Margaret is a member of Duke’s TEDx chapter, coaches Girls on the Run, teaches swim lessons and represents her university as an admissions and chapel ambassador. Last summer, Margaret had the opportunity to study Christian history in Israel, she learned how to fly powered planes utilizing ROTC scholarship grants, received her parachutist jump wings at the Air Force Academy and learned how to fly gliders. During her free time, Margaret loves to exercise, travel and explore the local food scene and hopes to engage in all three of these while working in Washington, D.C., this summer.
Simon Cook
Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Major: Political Science + French and Francophone Studies
Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Internship: Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Simon Cook is interested in specializing in international law. He has had international experiences through participation in two study abroad programs: one at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, where he specialized in international politics and English, and a second in Montpellier, France, where he studied at L’université Paul-Valéry, learning about environmental sustainability and colloquial French. At UNC, Simon is the co-founder and president of Easing Abroad Students Entry (EASE), an organization that works with the International Student and Scholar Services to create opportunities for incoming international exchange students to assimilate into the UNC community. He is also passionate about community service, participating in UNC’s Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity as the membership vice president. Furthermore, he enjoys research, recently presenting a paper at the London Arts Based Research Centre that he wrote on a connection between surrealism and posthumanism.
Anil Gordon
Education: North Carolina State University
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina
Internship: Penn Quarter Partners
Anil Gordon is a Park Scholar at NC State. He plans on continuing his education at NC State through their master of public administration program. At NC State, he has been involved in Student Government, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Consult Your Community. During his freshman year at NC State, he studied abroad in Florence, Italy and took several courses encompassing Italian history and climate politics. He is interested in pursuing a law degree after completion of his master program. He is eager to begin building professional experience in the form of internships at the North Carolina legislature and in Washington, D.C. Outside of academics, he enjoys playing tennis, traveling and camping.
Lucas Juntunen
Education: East Carolina University
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Kittrell, North Carolina
Internship: Advanced Advocacy
Lucas is going into his senior year and is an aspiring law student. This is Lucas’ first internship experience and he is excited to be living in Washington, D.C. this summer. Lucas is an outgoing person who is actively involved in campus activities at school. Lucas is in a fraternity at his school and enjoys spending his free time hanging out and conversing with other members. Lucas’ other hobbies include sports, working out and reading.
Caitlin Kaus
Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Major: Political Science + Peace, War and Defense
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Internship: PKH Enterprises
Caitlin is in her junior year and intends to attend law school after she graduates from Carolina. Currently, she is the membership & recruitment chair for the UNC chapter of Phi Alpha Delta pre-law fraternity and serves as the vice chair of the Student Ram Advisory Board. She is also an active member of the Undergraduate Honor Court, Women in National Security and the Peace, War and Defense Association. Beyond her academic and leadership roles, Caitlin is a dedicated supporter of Carolina athletics. Her enthusiasm for sports led her to a position at The Rams Club, where she plays a role in athletic fundraising to support Carolina student-athletes. In her spare time, Caitlin enjoys listening to live music, going on walks with her dogs and cheering on the Tar Heels.
Anna Claire Miller
Education: High Point University
Major: Journalism + Pre-Law
Hometown: LaGrange, Georgia
Internship: The Well News
Anna Claire is raising senior. She works as a resident assistant on her campus and as a content writer for the magazine High Point Discovered. She has interned with her local city government, the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and social media directors. Anna Claire spent the summer of 2023 abroad in the Czech Republic with her university’s honors program studying aesthetic inquiry and architecture. She is involved on campus through leadership positions in Phi Alpha Delta, Omicron Delta Kappa, Circle K and the Honors Program. She enjoys reading, baking and being outdoors in her free time.
Kertu Nitt
Education: University of Tartu
Major: International Relations and Regional Studies
Hometown: Antsla Vald, Estonia
Internship: Joint Baltic American National Committee
Kertu is finishing her first year in her master’s program. She is an active student who is a student representative in her program council. She has also worked as a teaching assistant for two semesters and has past internship experience in her institute’s research unit. Coming from a small country with a complicated history, she is interested in national defense and the power of diplomacy.
Elizabeth Shum
Education: Elon University
Major: Accounting + Finance
Hometown: Shreveport, Louisiana
Internship: Maritime Administration/Department of Transportation
Elizabeth was heavily active in advocating for higher education in her community. In high school, she held various positions in the service and leadership clubs, like student council president and key club president, during her senior year. She planned on continuing her act of leadership in her university’s student government, and at Elon, she served as the first-year treasurer. Elizabeth is also part of two special cohorts: Odyssey (a program for high-achieving first-generation students) and the 3+1 Accelerated Path (a program in which she will receive a masters and CPA certification upon her 4th year). She plans on continuing research on a bill she created for Girls Nation, which carries the topic of setting up new carbon-zero programs in the states.
Lauren Zola
Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Major: Law Global Studies + Spanish
Hometown: Rockville Centre, New York
Internship: The Well News
Lauren is in her junior year and writes for her university’s student newspaper. Lauren completed an internship last summer with GrepBeat, a media organization located in Durham, North Carolina, that covers technology startups in the Research Triangle. She wrote 30+ articles ranging from e-commerce platforms to sustainable local businesses. Lauren volunteers for a student-led radio organization at her school. She is a podcast creator and has one episode aired on a local radio station. She is an active volunteer with Dive In, a club dedicated to teaching children to swim. She studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, during the spring semester of her junior year. In her free time, Lauren loves to play tennis on the UNC club team, read about current events and spend time with friends.