Erin Bourque (Photo credits: Vytas Neviera)
Erin Bourque, Northeastern University senior and former GRI co-op, was awarded a 2019 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship following a highly competitive nationwide contest (Photo credits: Vytas Neviera)

Erin Bourque, Northeastern University (NU) senior and former Global Resilience (GRI) Institute co-op, has been awarded a 2019 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship.

Under the fellowship Bourque will be supported in a two-year master’s program and two summer internships with the U.S. Department of State – the first in D.C. and the second overseas – with the goal of preparing her for a career in the Foreign Service.

“Earning the Pickering is a dream come true– it feels like I’ve spent the past several weeks just beaming,” Bourque told GRI. “I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to serve my country while pursuing such a challenging, but rewarding career and lifestyle. It’s also been wonderful to share this accomplishment with those friends and mentors who have enabled me to be successful over the years, encouraging me to pursue big goals and giving me the tools to achieve them. It was truly a team effort!”

Currently, Bourque is on co-op at the U.S. embassy in Lithuania, adding on to her already 20 months of experience studying and working abroad in countries including Russia and Kazakhstan.

“We are truly thrilled and excited that Erin will be joining the Pickering Fellowship Program,” said Lily Lopez-Mcgee, Director of the Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship Program. “She demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership and commitment to service during her time at Northeastern University. These experiences bode well for her success through graduate school and in the Foreign Service as well. I look forward to seeing all that she will accomplish in her career.”

Before studying in Almaty, Kazakhstan for the 2016-2017 academic year on a Boren Scholarship, Bourque was a research assistant at the Center for Resilience Studies, GRI’s precursor. She then returned to GRI as a co-op research assistant, where she contributed to numerous reports on topics ranging from wildfires to healthcare resilience to airport security, and helped coordinate the Inaugural Summit of the Global Resilience Research Network hosted in March. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Affairs with minors in Russian and History.

Upon graduation from the two-year master’s degree program and fulfillment of Foreign Service entry requirements, Erin will become a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, serving in Washington, DC and at a U.S. embassy, consulate, or diplomatic mission around the globe.

To read the News@Northeastern article, click here