Skip to Main Content Skip to Main Navigation Skip to Footer
UNG Logo
  • Info For...
    • Accepted Students
    • Current Students
    • Parents & Family
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Alumni
    • Business & Community
    • International Students
  • Quicklinks
    • Directories
    • myUNG
    • Academic Catalogs
    • Athletics
    • Banner
    • Bookstore
    • Calendars
    • Campuses & Maps
    • Continuing Education
    • D2L
    • Employment / HR
    • IT Service Desk
    • Libraries
    • Testing
    • UNG Foundation
  • Admissions
  • Corps of Cadets
  • Academics
  • Cost & Aid
  • Student Life
  • News & Events
  • Athletics
  • About Us
Newsroom
  • All Articles
  • Media Relations Contact
  • Expert Guide
  • Points of Pride
  • Magazine
  • Social Media
    1. UNG
    2. News

    UNG alumna wins Pickering Fellowship

    November 29, 2021
    UNG alumna Katherine Torres has won the Pickering Fellowship, which supplies fellows with up to $42,000 annually over a two-year period to complete a master's degree program and prepares them for Foreign Service careers.

    Article By: Clark Leonard

    Katherine Torres, '21, has earned the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. She is one of 45 selections for the honor.

    Funded by the U.S. Department of State, the fellowship attracts and prepares outstanding young people for Foreign Service careers. It is the fourth nationally competitive scholarship for Torres, who is currently teaching English in Taiwan through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

    "We are so proud of all the work she put in as an applicant, including the three mock interviews she managed to squeeze in after her Fulbright teaching hours and despite the 13-hour time difference," Dr. Anastasia Lin, assistant vice president of research and engagement, said.

    Torres, originally from Hoschton, Georgia, will receive up to $42,000 annually for a two-year period to complete a master's degree program and participate in two summer internships designed to support her in becoming an excellent Foreign Service Officer. As a Pickering fellow, she has agreed to work with the Department of State's Foreign Service for a minimum of five years.

    Having access to a mentor in the Foreign Service through the fellowship will propel me in pursuing leadership opportunities within the State Department.

    Katherine Torres

    2021 UNG alumna

    In addition to the Pickering Fellowship and the Fulbright, Torres also earned the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

    She received a Boren Indonesian Flagship Language Program scholarship in spring 2021, as well, before choosing to use the Fulbright instead. 

    Torres also represented UNG in the 2020-21 cohort of the Newman Civic Fellows.

    "I am very thankful for my professors, the Nationally Competitive Scholarships office and the Center for Global Engagement at UNG for preparing me for the fellowship by providing opportunities for me to enhance my professional skillsets," Torres said. "Having access to a mentor in the Foreign Service through the fellowship will propel me in pursuing leadership opportunities within the State Department. I look forward to serving our country through the State Department."

    Torres is a distinguished graduate of UNG's Honors Program.

    While Torres pursued a degree in political science with a pre-law concentration with the plan to enter law school, her decision changed after participating in the Cox-State Diplomacy Seminar. There she met members of the State Department and current Foreign Service Officers as well as partook in simulations.

    UNG alumna Melissa Silva,'19, joined Torres among the 90 finalists for the Pickering Fellowship. Silva is also a finalist for the Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship Program, which aims to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State.

    Silva earned a degree in modern languages with a Spanish language and literature concentration and was part of the UNG Realizing Inspiring and Successful Educators (RISE) program. After her time in Kyrgyzstan on a Fulbright scholarship, she completed several post-baccalaureate courses in education, and she currently teaches Spanish in Hall County, Georgia.

    Contact the Author

    Cronan named Udall honorable mention

    Cronan named Udall honorable mention

    UNG senior Anna Cronan was named an honorable mention for the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship at the end of her junior year.
    Menees wins NIH Undergraduate Scholarship

    Menees wins NIH Undergraduate Scholarship

    UNG senior Haley Menees became one of 15 students nationally to earn acceptance into the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship Program in 2023.
    UNG named Boren top producer

    UNG named Boren top producer

    UNG has been named a top producer of Boren Scholarship winners for 2022-23 with five. UGA was the only other school in Georgia with as many winners.
    Two students earn Goldwater Scholarship

    Two students earn Goldwater Scholarship

    Students Haley Menees and Aysia Bittinger each earned the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, as UNG tied for the second-most recipients among public universities in Georgia.

    UNG Logo
    • Contact Us
    • Request Information
    • Quick Facts
    • Campus Maps & Directions
    • Student Consumer Information
    • Campus Safety
    • Emergency Information
    • Employment/HR
    • UNG Policies & Procedures
    • UNG Alumni Association
    • UNG Foundation
    • Ethics & Compliance Hotline
    • Human Trafficking Notice
    • Equal Empl. Opportunity

    © 2023 The University System of Georgia and the University of North Georgia.

    UNG follows the section 508 Standards and WCAG 2.0 for web accessibility. If you require this content in another format, please send an email to the ADA Coordinator.

    Use of military-themed imagery does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Department of Defense.

    • Accreditation
    • Accessibility
    • Privacy Policy
    Establishing Connection...
    AskNigel