Washington (May 1, 2024) - Following a nationally competitive application process, incoming Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) graduate student John Mercedes 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, Mercedes will receive up to $43,500 annually in academic funding for a two-year IT-related master’s degree program at WPI. 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. Mercedes will receive professional development and personalized mentoring during the fellowship. Upon successful completion of the fellowship and the Foreign Service entry requirements, he will receive an appointment in the Foreign Service as a Diplomatic Technology Officer.
John Mercedes
A first-generation college student, Mercedes is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent and was born and raised in Rhode Island. He holds an Associate of Science in Business Administration from the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems with a double minor in Data Analytics and Portuguese from Rhode Island College (RIC). At CCRI, he was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and Bible Study Club. At RIC, he participated in two mission trips to the Dominican Republic in 2021 and studied abroad in Portugal as a Gilman Scholar in the summer of 2023. Mercedes speaks Spanish and Portuguese, and he enjoys language learning, missionary work, studying history and theology, and exploring new places and cultures. As a FAIT Fellow, he is pursuing a Master of Science in Data Science at WPI.
I have a passion for international work and learning more about different cultures. Being a FAIT Fellow will allow me to pursue my interests in information technology, experience diverse cultures, and serve my country.
John Mercedes, FAIT Fellow 2024 Cohort
Of the 15 FAIT Fellows for the 2024 cohort, five are in the graduate fellowship and ten are in the undergraduate fellowship.
Graduate Fellows
- Stefan Andreev, Utica University (BBA ’23); Graduate School: Johns Hopkins University
- Confido Banza, University of Arizona (BAS ’24); Graduate School: University of Arizona
- John Mercedes, Rhode Island College (BS ’23); Graduate School: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Lousindy Mitton, Miami Dade College (BS ’23); Graduate School: University of West Florida
- Tristan Salvanera, Wake Forest University (BS ’08); Graduate School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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 provide lasting impact. We’re honored to have been able to recruit the eighth cohort of this important diversity fellowship program.
Kim Churches, president of The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, which administers the FAIT Fellowship.
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.
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 Seminars
The 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.
The 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.
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.
