The Mershon Center for International Security Studies is pleased to announce that Carissa Garcia and Molly Hornberger have received Chadwick F. Alger Peace and Conflict Resolution Undergraduate Student Scholarships.

Carissa Garcia, a junior, will use her scholarship to attend the Advanced Training Program offered by the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) in Geneva, Switzerland. The United Nations (UN) will provide a variety of overviews, trainings, simulations, and other practical, hands-on opportunities that give students a unique window into the UN and provide tools to understand and reflect upon global challenges.

“As an international relations and medical anthropology student, my career aspirations are centered around global health diplomacy,” said Garcia. “This program will further enhance my ability to navigate international negotiations, humanitarian coordination, and policymaking in multilateral institutions, which are essential skills for a career in international relations and diplomacy.”

A junior majoring in Public Management, Leadership, Policy; Sociology, African American and African Studies, Molly Hornberger will use her Alger scholarship to complete a Certificate of Professional Achievement in Human Rights through Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. This certificate focuses on topics such as peacebuilding and world conflicts, international human rights law, global economic justice, and the intricacies of issues worldwide.

“I hope to work for the United Nations prosecuting human rights atrocities and facilitating world conflict resolution,” said Hornberger. “I am interested in stopping the most serious of human rights violations such as genocide, torture, and war crimes. I want to work to prevent these atrocities for all people and to proactively build systems of justice for all oppressed populations. The Columbia University program will significantly influence my knowledge base and skillset; thus, it is a critical first step toward my career in human rights advocacy.” 

The Alger Scholarship commemorates the late Chadwick Alger, professor emeritus of political science and public policy at the Mershon Center. Alger, an authority on peacebuilding and the United Nations system, was director of the Mershon Program in Transnational Intellectual Cooperation in the Policy Sciences (1971-81) and director of the Mershon Program in World Relations (1982-91).

Alger was passionate about his students and helping them engage in research, and this scholarship honors his legacy by supporting undergraduate research in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Learn more about Chadwick Alger and the Alger Scholarship.