Louis DeJoy, North Carolina business leader and current U.S. Postmaster General, his wife and former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia Dr. Aldona Woś, and The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) announced the names of this year’s DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation Scholarship recipients. Hailing from colleges and universities in North Carolina and Estonia, the students have received full tuition and housing scholarships to attend TFAS programs this summer.
Nine students, eight of whom attend North Carolina colleges and universities and one who attends university in Estonia, have been selected to benefit from the scholarships: Margaret Cook, Mackenzie Hansen and Natalie McCormick were selected from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and David Gust, Laurel Holley and Emma Zubak were selected from Duke University. The remaining students were Elizabeth Smith of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Hailey Spratt of High Point University, and Eva Lennuk of the University of Tartu.
As part of a five-year gift funded through the Louis DeJoy and Aldona Woś Family Foundation, $100,000 in scholarships were awarded to students with ties to North Carolina or Estonia. DeJoy and Woś have generously provided financial assistance for students attending TFAS summer programs for more than 15 years.
The students, already recognized as leaders among their peers, will be interning with prominent companies and organizations in their fields, including the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, American Enterprise Institute, the National Bureau of Asian Research and the American Legion. In addition to interning, students take courses at George Mason University, attend site briefings at major institutions of government and participate in guest lectures by leaders from a variety of professions.
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 served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia from 2004 to 2006 and as head of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services from 2013 to 2015. Woś also served as vice chair of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, one of the nation’s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service. She is currently the interim president of the Institute of World Politics.
DeJoy is proud to continue supporting students of TFAS’s summer programs.
“The programs offered by The Fund for American Studies play a critical role in developing the next generation of leaders,” he said. “The students taking part in this year’s program will make a positive difference in the world as they go forward to solve today’s most pressing problems.”
TFAS President Roger Ream ’76 said, “We deeply appreciate the continued generosity of Louis DeJoy and Dr. Aldona Woś in helping students develop leadership skills. They recognize the need for courageous and honorable leaders who will solve problems and improve the world around them. The experience of living, learning and interning in our nation’s capital will enable these students to gain access to leaders who they can emulate. We’re looking forward to seeing what these students accomplish during their time with TFAS and beyond.”
David Gust ’22, a student at Duke University, is interning with the American Enterprise Institute and is looking forward to the experiences the summer program will provide.
“I am most excited about meeting other TFAS scholars who share my passion for policymaking,” Gust said. “Through this experience, I am looking forward to enhancing my personal beliefs, gaining new perspectives and developing a network of friends and scholars that will last a lifetime.”
This summer, TFAS is hosting more than 1,500 students from across the U.S. and around the world in D.C. Academic Internship Programs, TFAS International and Economics for Leaders programs for high school students. Program graduates will join a global network of 46,000 TFAS alumni who are leaders in politics, government, public policy, business, philanthropy and the media.
Learn more about each of the DeJoy-Woś Scholars below.
2022 DeJoy-Woś Scholars
Margaret “Austin” Cook
Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Major: Media and Journalism
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Internship: The Well News
Margaret “Austin” Cook is a rising junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studies journalism and political science. She is minoring in music (flute and vocal performance), which has honed her appreciation for thinking creatively and solving complex problems through cooperation and leadership. Austin’s career goal is to provide effective publicity and messaging consulting for companies or nonprofits through traditional and new wave media outlets as they establish new offerings/policies and to solidify corporate identity. She recently completed an internship in the UNC Office of Ethics and Policy. In that job, Austin was charged with researching best practices in ethics, policy and communications for the office as they work to promote transparency and accountability. She has also worked as a literacy education in Title I schools and a marketing summer intern during college breaks. Her primary research interests focus on political communications and social responsibility as a means of making real local impact. On campus, Austin is a UNC Buckley Scholar for community service, the UNC Habitat for Humanity club president and a Fulton Carolina Medal recipient.
David Gust
Education: Duke University
Major: Public Policy
Hometown: Hinsdale, Illinois
Internship: American Enterprise Institute
David Gust is an incoming junior at Duke University and an active member on his college campus. At Duke, David serves as vice president of The Ciceronian Society (Duke’s sole right-leaning organization), vice chair of the Duke University Honor Council, and he conducts research on the prestigious “Race and Southern Politics” research team. David is a brother of Theta Chi, a member of the Duke Business Society, and he regularly attends CRU Bible studies and club soccer practice. He enjoys studying U.S. history, playing soccer, listening to country music, wakeboarding, exercising entrepreneurship skills and learning about political theory. Last summer, David worked as a business intern at HB Investments.
Mackenzie Hansen
Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Major: Contemporary European Studies
Hometown: Midland, North Carolina
Internship: Nuclear Regulatory Agency
Mackenzie Hansen just finished her junior year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, during which she traveled to Athens, Greece, and Seattle, Washington, to participate in Model European Union simulations. She worked for the UNC Center for European Studies and the Krasno Global Event Series to facilitate events on global affairs and the transatlantic relationship. Mackenzie is a member of the Honors Carolina program and will graduate with an honors laureate next year. She completed a virtual study abroad course through Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, where she studied policymaking in the European Union. Mackenzie received the Women’s Leadership Council Scholarship, the Alpha Delta Kappa Scholarship and the NCCCA Scholarship. She has participated in a philosophy, politics and economics reading group, pays the oboe and enjoys creative writing in her free time.
Laurel Holley
Education: Duke University
Major: Public Policy
Hometown: Greer, South Carolina
Internship: National Bureau of Asian Research
Laurel Holley is a rising sophomore who is passionate about conflict resolution and national security. Growing up, she lived in Querétaro, Mexico, and Clermont-Ferrand, France, which sparked her passion for international affairs. At Duke, Laurel is a Global Fellow with the Office of Global Affairs, working to promote culturally attuned social and professional experiences. She is a council member for Duke’s program in American Grand Strategy, which enhances her knowledge of U.S. foreign policy as she welcomes politicians and scholars to campus to share their policy insights. She also serves on the student boards of the Duke-UNICEF Innovation Accelerator and Duke-UNICEF Club. Laurel’s most recent research is for Dr. Rachel Kuo investigating the influence of personal migration histories on political media consumption in Asian diasporic communities. Laurel is fluent in Spanish and French, she is currently learning Mandarin, and she hopes to learn Hindi in college. Upon graduation, she plans to enter the American foreign service and serve as a diplomat.
Eva Lennuk
Education: University of Tartu
Major: Law
Hometown: Tartu, Estonia
Internship: American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association
Eva Lennuk just completed the first year of studies for her master’s degree at the University of Tartu and is looking forward to graduating in 2023. She has completed multiple internships in a variety of institutions, starting with the local government of her hometown and finishing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Estonia. Eva is truly a global citizen: she has worked as the youth delegate of Estonia in the Council of Europe, and the United Nations has enriched her perception of youth participation and governmental relations. She loves music and graduated from Narva Music School, where she specialized in the saxophone. She enjoys exploring the art of mastering different musical instruments, and in her free time Eva loves to sing and write songs.
Natalie McCormick
Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Major: Journalism
Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Internship: The Well News
Natalie McCormick just completed her sophomore year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studies journalism, entrepreneurship and music. In her free time, she is part of the campus a cappella group Cadence, a member of Pi Beta Phi, and she writes for the student-run newspaper, the Daily Tar Heel. Last summer, Natalie studied abroad for one month in Florence, Italy, where she studied jazz and opera at the Accademia Europea di Firenze. Throughout high school, she was a part of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. She traveled the world with the group and participated in multiple choral competitions and festivals. Natalie is excited to spend the summer in D.C. and experience everything the city has to offer.
Elizabeth Smith
Education: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Major: Sociology
Hometown: Concord, North Carolina
Internship: American Legion
Elizabeth Smith was born and raised in the community of Mexican Springs located on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. She is Native American and part of the Navajo tribe, and her faith in the Lord is her guide through life. Elizabeth is a first-generation college student who just completed her junior year of college at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She was accepted into an early entry graduate program and will start her master’s degree in criminal justice this fall. She plans to work for the FBI after completing her degrees. Elizabeth earned a congressional nomination to the United States Naval Academy but ultimately declined. She is an avid volunteer in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community, where she volunteers at a church and throughout the city. She participated in the Charlotte Career Collaborative Case Challenge and was awarded for her contributions. She is a member of UNC’s Native American Student Association and also participates in recreational opportunities like basketball and weightlifting.
Hailey Spratt
Education: High Point University
Major: Entrepreneurship
Hometown: High Point, North Carolina
Internship: AFSA Education Foundation
Hailey Spratt just finished her junior year at High Point University. She is an actress, speaker and an individual with an entrepreneurial mindset and passion for helping others. She has made the Dean’s List several times and has been selected as one of HPU’s Extraordinary Leaders. Hailey was accepted to The School of Economics at LIUC in Italy, where she plans to complete the fall 2022 semester. She serves as a Bonner Leader, where she mentors youth in grades K-12, and serves as a first-year navigator in partnership with the Office of Student Success by assisting students successfully transition from high school to college. Hailey serves as a community alignment intern for Ready for School, Ready for Life and as a finance and administrative intern with YMCA Camp Weaver in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is a Campus Greensboro Fellow and student ambassador for the National Sales Network. After graduation, Hailey plans to pursue her master’s degree in communication and business leadership while preparing to launch a nonprofit that provides support to underprivileged youth.
Emma Zubak
Education: Duke University
Major: Public Policy
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Internship: Asia Policy Point
Emma Zubak is a rising sophomore at Duke University who is interested in politics, women’s empowerment and U.S.-China relations. During her first year at Duke, she was selected as one of 18 freshman women to participate in the Baldwin Scholars, a four-year academic and leadership development program. Additionally, she was chosen to serve as a delegate for the Duke University of North Carolina Chinese Leadership Summit, where she gained insight into the current state of U.S.-China relations from various consul ministers and embassy generals and discussed complex foreign issues alongside her peers. Emma served as a Senator of Durham and Community Affairs on Duke’s student government, where she initiated and is working to implement PLUNCH, a program that will allow university students to have lunch with a prominent member of the Durham community to discuss the current state of the Duke-Durham relationship and collaboratively mitigate the divide between the two. Prior to enrolling at Duke, Emma founded an international women’s empowerment organization called Ambitiously Empowered Voices, which worked to develop leadership skills in elementary school girls in eight different countries. Emma is currently working to bring this organization to Duke. She also served as a member of the Board of Directors for SheVotesIL, a political action committee dedicated to ensuring that women’s issues remain the center of political discussions and legislation.
For more information about Louis DeJoy, Dr. Aldona Woś and their family foundation, visit http://louisdejoyandaldonaWośfamilyfoundation.com/.