WKU student selected as university’s first Gaither Junior Fellow

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Tani Washington, a 2024 Western Kentucky University graduate in history and international affairs, has been awarded a Gaither Junior Fellowship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

According to WKU, Washington is the first Gaither Junior Fellow to be selected from WKU and among a class of 16 selected from a pool of 259 nominees from 147 universities nationwide.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace  is one of the most important foreign policy think tanks in the world, according to WKU. With a global network of policy research centers in the United States, Russia, China, Europe, the Middle East and India, its mission is to advance peace through analysis and development of fresh policy ideas and direct engagement and collaboration with decision makers in government, business, and civil society.

The James C. Gaither Junior Fellows program is intended for students who aspire to high-level careers in international affairs. Applicants identify one of 12 program areas in which they hope to work, including regional programs focused on the Middle East, Asia, Russia and Eurasia, Europe and Africa; and thematic programs such as democracy, conflict and government; American statecraft, global order and institutions; sustainability, climate and geopolitics.

Washington will work with a senior research fellow in the CEIP’s Africa program, based in Washington, D.C., that provides analysis and insights on the economic, technological, and transnational issues shaping Africa’s future.

“This most recent recognition by the Carnegie Endowment is one of many notable milestones in what has been an illustrious undergraduate experience marked by numerous internal and external awards, conference invitations, and co-authored publications,” said Andrew Rosa, Washington’s mentor in History and Africana Studies. Under the mentorship of Rosa, Dr. Saundra Ardrey, and Dr. Jennifer Hanley, Washington has produced an Honors thesis on Afrofuturism’s potential to nurture an independent Africa. In addition, she published research on public opinion of foreign aid with Dr. Timothy Rich.

“Tani is an academic total package, a particularly strong writer and forceful speaker who can diplomatically defend her positions. I have no doubt she’ll do big things,” said Rich.

Washington’s intellectual interests have engaged multiple aspects of the Black experience in the United States and abroad. As an intern at Virginia Public Media, she wrote about the socioeconomic determinants of dementia care for people of color. As an intern at Ujima, the National Center on Violence Against Black Women, she conducted research on health policy at federal, state and local levels. And at WKU, she produced a four-episode podcast series on diasporic communities with WKU Forensics teammate Joseph Eberle.

“I was introduced to Tani in her first year by a superstar WKU alumna who obviously knew how to spot talent and drive. Tani’s precise career goal has developed in different ways in the past four years, but her love of ideas, research, and belief in their power to reshape the future has been constant,” said Melinda Grimsley, fellowships advisor in the Office of Scholar Development and WKU’s nominating official for the Gaither Junior Fellows Program.

“Tani has learned how to be an active scholar at WKU, one who is now well prepared to take advantage of the unique applied learning opportunity supported by this fellowship and make original and significant contributions to a public policy ecosystem that is committed, like herself, to making this world a better place, locally and globally. While she will be missed in Cherry Hall, I look forward to all she will accomplish as a Gaither Fellow and beyond,” said Rosa.

“I was so immensely encouraged throughout this process by my mentors, Drs. Melinda Grimsley, Saundra Ardrey, Andrew Rosa, Jennifer Hanley, and Timothy Rich,” Washington said. “Their support has been so unwavering, and each has pushed me toward becoming the person I am today. I am so grateful for all the resources I was able to take advantage of as stepping stones to this incredible opportunity.”

Following her Gaither Junior Fellowship, Washington plans to pursue graduate education on a path toward becoming an area specialist for the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs or leading community engagement at the National Museum of African American history in Washington, D.C.

Gaither Junior Fellows must first be nominated by their institution; once nominated, they go through multiple revisions of their application materials, which include a substantive analytical essay, personal statement, resume, and transcript. Applications are judged on the quality of the analytical essay, related academic study and work experience, recommendations, and personal interviews. Students interested in applying for the Gaither Fellowship should contact Melinda Grimsley in the Office of Scholar Development no later than October of their final year at WKU.