Washington (May 1, 2024) - Following a nationally competitive application process, Rutgers University–New Brunswick Information Technology and Informatics (ITI) student Andrea Olavarrieta is one of 15 individuals selected by the U.S. Department of State for the Foreign Affairs Information Technology Fellowship 2024 cohort.

In this two-year fellowship program funded by the Department of State, Olavarrieta will receive up to $43,500 annually in academic funding for the last two years of her bachelor’s degree program at Rutgers–New Brunswick. The fellowship also includes two summer internships with stipend support – a domestic internship in Washington, D.C., at the Department of State and an overseas internship at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Olavarrieta will receive professional development and personalized mentoring during the fellowship. Upon successful completion of the fellowship and the Foreign Service entry requirements, she will receive an appointment in the Foreign Service as a Diplomatic Technology Officer.

Olavarrieta, a second-generation American of Colombian and Salvadoran descent, is a New Jersey native. She is fluent in English and Spanish, and she studied Korean as an exchange student at Yonsei University in South Korea. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Information Technology and Informatics with a concentration in Cybersecurity at Rutgers–New Brunswick. Olavarrieta has a passion for incorporating information technology with illustration, design, and foreign languages. When not coding, she enjoys reading comics, curating fashion boards, and designing local travel itineraries.

As a Diplomatic Technology Officer in the Foreign Service, I will bridge the gap between information technology and users. I would be elated to represent my country and the IT community globally as I extend my IT, foreign language, and artistic skills to communities beyond my own.

-Andrea Olavarrieta, ITI student

Of the 15 FAIT Fellows for the 2024 cohort, ten are in the undergraduate fellowship.

Undergraduate Fellows

• Tommy Allen, Indiana University Bloomington
• Ana Altman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Uday Brathwaite, Pace University
• Isa Cohen, Arizona State University
• KaMeron Hopkins, Susquehanna University
• Astrid Gabriella Tagne Meleu, University of Maryland, College Park
• Ahmed Mohammad, Norwich University
• Andrea Olavarrieta, Rutgers University–New Brunswick
• Joshua Riley, Brigham Young University
• Essence-Jade Springer, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

The talented, diverse group of students selected for the 2024 cohort of the FAIT Fellowship will have a lasting impact. We’re honored to have recruited the eighth cohort of this important diversity fellowship program.

The FAIT Fellowship aims to attract top technology talent that represents the ethnic, racial, gender, social, and geographic diversity of the United States. The FAIT Fellowship encourages applications from women, minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, and those with financial need.

-Kim Churches, president of The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, which administers the FAIT Fellowship.

The 2025 application cycle for the FAIT Fellowship program is planned to begin in September 2024. Announcements will be posted online at https://www.faitfellowship.org/ and shared on social media on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.

About The Washington Center for Internships and Academic SeminarsThe Washington Center creates flexible, immersive pathways to enhance the pipeline of diverse talent that build more equitable, inclusive workplaces and communities. Since our founding, we’ve helped more than 60,000 young people translate their college majors into career paths. We use our scale and expertise to customize each learner’s experience to be truly transformative.

About the U.S. Department of State The Department of State’s mission is to protect and promote U.S. security, prosperity, and democratic values and shape an international environment in which all Americans can thrive. The Department’s workforce includes some 13,000 members of the Foreign Service, 11,000 Civil Service employees, and 45,000 locally employed staff at more than 270 diplomatic missions worldwide.

Photo credit: The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars