Katherine Yenna, Class of 2025 alumna, has been selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, a nationally competitive opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Aligning with a mission to expand perspectives and foster cultural exchange, Fulbright grants sponsor students to spend up to an academic year abroad conducting independent research, pursuing graduate study or teaching English in one of more than 140 partner countries.
“Receiving this Fulbright grant is the perfect culmination of four years at CSI. It means so much to be recognized after all the hard work it took to apply and I am extremely grateful for the opportunities offered to me through the College of Staten Island, which have helped me to receive this grant,” Yenna said.
Katherine graduated from the Macaulay Honors College at the College of Staten Island with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, as well as minors in Political Science and Arabic. In her Fulbright application, she proposed an independent research project to investigate how NGOs in Tunisia enhance the employability of their youth through training and entrepreneurship initiatives. To conduct this study, she plans to work with organizations such as Enactus Tunisia and the Danish Refugee Council’s Tunis office, where she will have the opportunity to interview their staff and business partners on the resources and programs they provide. To further engage with the local community, Katherine also plans to volunteer for AMIDEAST Tunisia by presenting workshops to inspire students to study abroad and leading weekly English conversation hours.
In her freshman year at CSI, Katherine was accepted into the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship, a prestigious three-year NYC-based program that provides exceptional summer internship opportunities, mentoring, and professional development. In her first year of the fellowship, Katherine conducted research on affordable housing as a Resettlement Housing Intern with the International Rescue Committee. The following year, she spent a summer interning at TARSHI (Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues), an NGO in New Delhi, India, where she helped create resources for the organization’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights initiative. Last year, Katherine assessed the impact of residents’ access to electricity in rural areas of the Philippines by interning with SIBAT (Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya) and Green Empowerment. These experiences gave her valuable exposure to the work of NGOs in serving their communities.
Katherine wishes to pursue a career in the field of international development, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa region. She would like to use the experience she gains through her Fulbright grant to work for an NGO or think tank focusing on policy research and development. Katherine also plans to complete a Master’s degree in NGO management and aspires to lead her own team in the future.
By Michele Callahan
