Graduating senior Santiago Rios (GVPT, ’20) has been awarded a 2020 Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship. Rios is one of just thirty outstanding students selected nationwide for this prestigious fellowship, which will prepare him to serve as a Foreign Service officer and promote positive global change with the U.S. Department of State. The Fellowship will provide Rios with up to $75,000 in benefits over a two-year period to pursue a master’s degree. Benefits include two summer internships, mentorship, and an array of professional development activities.

“I am honored by the opportunity to attend graduate school and represent the United States abroad,” Rios says.

Rios will graduate in the spring as a government and politics major with a minor in international development and conflict and a certificate in Latin American studies. Rios is a graduate of the Global Fellows Program, where he studied with a concentration in U.S. diplomacy and policy-making. In addition to his studies, Rios has interned with the U.S. Department of State, Consulate Section in Madrid, Spain; the Office of Delegate Wakina Fisher; CASA de Maryland; and Hope Worldwide. 

“I am grateful to the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences for the guidance and support throughout my time at the University of Maryland,” Rios says. “We have a wonderful team at BSOS that is committed to every student. I am excited to see future students continue to showcase the school’s diversity and commitment to excellence.”

For more information about the Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship, visit their site here: http://rangelprogram.org/graduate-fellowship-program/