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Alumna Danyale Kellogg Receives National Award for TFAS Internship

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While in Santiago, Chile, during the TFAS International Institute for Leadership in the Americas (ILA), Danyale Kellogg ’18, ’19 received an email she almost couldn’t believe – she had won the Cooperative Education Internship Association’s (CEIA) 2019 Internship Student Achievement Award. Out of 630 member colleges and universities, the cooperative honored Kellogg, a Hatton W. Sumners Scholar, with the prestigious award for her internship experience and undergraduate achievements.

A group of students stand together for a photo at the National Defense University TFAS site briefing.
Kellogg and her TFAS classmates attend a site briefing at the National Defense University.

In 2018, Kellogg participated in the TFAS D.C. Summer Programs track on International Affairs in Washington, D.C., where she interned with The Charles Group.

“My summer with TFAS led to me being selected as the cooperative’s 2019 CEIA Internship Student Achievement Award recipient. While my entire undergraduate career was taken into consideration, my internship that I did with TFAS was of particular importance in me winning this award,” Kellogg said. “My internship with The Charles Group gave me private consulting experience which added new depth to my professional experience that previously only consisted of internships with government agencies.”

My summer with TFAS led to me being selected as the cooperative’s 2019 CEIA Internship Student Achievement Award recipient. While my entire undergraduate career was taken into consideration, my internship that I did with TFAS was of particular importance in me winning this award.”

– Danyale Kellogg ’18, ’19

At first, Kellogg wasn’t sure about interning with a consulting firm because she always saw herself working in public policy for the U.S. government, but she said her experience with the Charles Group provided her with substantive work that helped her learn more about private consulting.

Thinking the Economic Way

Originally, Kellogg wasn’t interested in studying history and international politics. When she first arrived at college, she wanted to be a comic book editor. Or a chef. But those plans changed after her first semester at Southwestern University. On a whim, she decided to take “Modern European History” and “The History of Human Rights,” both classes focused on mapping out the human experience. That whim proved fruitful because, through those courses, she found her love of history and her passion for international politics.

Five young women stand together for a photo at the 2018 TFAS Mentor Breakfast.
Kellogg (far right) and a group of other TFAS students attend the 2018 Mentor Breakfast.

Even before her TFAS Journey began, Kellogg was a highly accomplished young leader. She completed internships with Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado, the Texas legislature on the House Committee on Human Services, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations SAC in El Paso, Texas, through the secretary’s Honors Program and spent a semester abroad at Ewha Womans University in South Korea.

At Southwestern, she eventually settled on majoring in history and double minoring in German and international studies. But Kellogg said there was still something missing from her educational journey.

“Before my summer in D.C., I was terrified that I had to take an economics class,” Kellogg said. “But the most impactful part of the TFAS program was also the most unexpected – I really enjoyed my “International Economic Policy” course. Dr. Anne Bradley has a gift for teaching and making it relevant to those of us that were uncertain about taking an economics course. She was able to relate it to my interests, and her enthusiasm was so contagious that I loved going to class!”

In her history classes, she said being able to bring in economists who have written about the Korean War and its impact on the South East Asian economy have added an extra element of diversity to her course work.

I would never, truthfully, have looked into the economics section of a publication. I would never flip to The New York Times and look at articles dealing with markets or the economy, but now I can read them, and I understand them.”

Danyale Kellogg ’18, ’19

“I would never, truthfully, have looked into the economics section of a publication. I would never flip to The New York Times and look at articles dealing with markets or the economy, but now I can read them, and I understand them,” Kellogg said.

Kellogg took the economic education she received from TFAS and applied it to her academic pursuits outside of the classroom as well. She presented a paper at the ninth Undergraduate Research Conference in German Studies co-organized by Lafayette College and Moravian College and the German and Russian Undergraduate Research Conference at the University of North Texas, in which she wrote and did original research in German. Kellogg again credits Dr. Bradley’s class with inspiring her to pursue the research of economists for her course work.

Connecting With Tomorrow’s Leaders

Four students stand together holding food kabobs at a lunch outside on a college campus.
Kellogg and other 2019 TFAS Santiago classmates enjoy a Chilean-style lunch at Universidad de los Andes.

Kellogg said she keeps herself busy with classes and extracurriculars, but TFAS kept her on her toes. “It was a crazy two months. I’m a very busy person and somehow TFAS made me feel like I was even busier than I have been before.” That didn’t stop her from applying to another TFAS program, though. In 2019, Kellogg attended the TFAS International Institute for Leadership in the Americas (ILA) in Santiago, Chile.

An avid traveler, Kellogg said she’s going carry her TFAS friendships with her throughout her life.

“The kind of people TFAS attracts is mind-blowing. When you meet people, you’re like, ‘How did [TFAS] find these incredible people?’ It’s very humbling and it was an incredible experience,” Kellogg said. “You want to be around inspiring young people and ILA presented an amazing opportunity for me to not just be around inspiring people but for me to get to know them and call them my friends,” Kellogg said. “The best part for me is I know that the number of places I can go in the world and not find a friend is shrinking.”

A group of students stands around a professor after a class for a photo.
Kellogg and her 2019 TFAS Santiago classmates stand with TFAS professor Dr. Bradley Thompson after a lecture.

Kellogg said another aspect of the Santiago program that impacted her was the civil discussions that took place inside and outside of the classroom.

“Dr. Thompson started off his first lecture by saying, ‘We’ll probably all disagree but we’re all friends.’ That’s something I think a lot of college campuses lack. I work on Southwestern University’s Project for Free Speech and Civil Discourse, and I know how difficult it is to get people to have civil discussions when they so passionately disagree. It’s refreshing when you can go somewhere and someone says, ‘You’re probably going to disagree with me but that’s okay. We’re still friends at the end of the day.'”

Preserving the TFAS Experience

Kellogg said that for students wanting to intern in Washington, D.C., or even for students who already have, TFAS is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“TFAS is life changing and gives you lifelong friends, unparalleled experiences and membership into a family of alumni that is unique from any other,” Kellogg said. “TFAS managed to make all of the stressful parts about interning in D.C., like housing and transportation, stress free and was able to give me access to site visits and events that I hadn’t been able to get into on my own during my first time in D.C.”

Outside of helping with the practicalities of interning in the United States capital or traveling abroad, Kellogg said the alumni network is another reason for students to take part in TFAS programs.

“It is really important to have the opportunity to connect with other young leaders while you’re young, but I can also see why it’ll be important once we’re older,” Kellogg said. “People who go to TFAS are people who want to make a difference, and to have those connections both with people in the United States and around the world is incredible. While it might not be me who makes a difference in the world, I can tell that there will be people from TFAS who will make a difference.”

When she becomes more established in her career, Kellogg said she plans on giving back to TFAS so other students like her can have the same professional and personal opportunities.

“Donating to TFAS isn’t like every other donation you could make. I know personally when I’m older I definitely want to give back to TFAS,” Kellogg said. “I think investing in the lives of future young leaders is very important and an excellent use of money. You’ll see the return on that investment.”

Next for Kellogg is TFAS’s American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES) in Prague, Czech Republic, this summer. Kellogg will then attend the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University in the fall to earn a master’s in international affairs on the national security and diplomacy track with concentrations in China/East Asia, nuclear security and cyber security.

 

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