WSU is only Michigan post-secondary institution selected for program which provides $6,000 stipends to participants

Four Wayne State University students will be interns at the United States Department of State this summer, receiving $6,000 stipends as part of the inaugural Internship Fellows Program (IFP) cohort. Wayne State University is the only post-secondary in Michigan selected for the pilot of the IFP. Jerry Herron, dean of WSU's Irvin D. Reid Honors College, participated in the official launch of the program in Washington, D.C., in September where he attended a luncheon with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"We are very excited that four Wayne State students will be interns in Washington or at embassies throughout the world," says Herron. "I am thrilled that Secretary Rice agreed to provide such generous stipends. This support allowed us to recruit a diverse and talented pool of interns. The students who have been accepted are enthusiastic and will serve the State Department and the United States very well."

These students will spend the summer in Washington, D.C., or at embassies throughout the world: Mary Craft, a senior from Sterling Heights who is a history major who is preparing for law school; Alexander Marinica, a pre-med junior from Canton will graduate with a philosophy degree; Rasha Natour, a junior political science major from Dearborn; and Srdan Sadikovic from Huntington Woods, a junior also plans to graduate with a bachelor's degree in political science.

"I am honored to participate in the Internship Fellows Program," Marinica said. "This opportunity with the Department of State will provide a solid foundation for my career in public health and health policy."

In support of its mission of promoting informed, engaged citizenship the Irvin D. Reid Honors College recruits and advises students campus-wide for a number of prestigious fellowships, scholarships and internships including the Rhodes, Marshall and Gates-Cambridge scholarships. The Internship Fellows Program will allow students to learn more about the world around them and develop as thoughtful, committed denizens.

The Irvin D. Reid Honors College exemplifies Wayne State University's commitment to the urban experience and to the enrichment of teaching, service and research. It is the mission of Honors to promote informed, engaged citizenship as the foundation for academic achievement in a diverse global environment.

The college is home to more than 1,300 students who may choose their majors from among the 126 bachelor's degree programs offered by the university.