One Fordham College at Lincoln Center student and two recent graduates from Fordham’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) have been awarded nationally competitive fellowships, including the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship.

Karina Veras, a Lincoln Center junior majoring in political science, has been selected as a Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Fellow in Foreign Affairs. The fellowship, which will train Veras to become a U.S. Foreign Service officer, includes tuition and room and board, as well as reimbursement for books and travel during her  junior and senior years and during the first year of graduate study. Fellows must commit to graduate study in international studies. Samuel Wong, a Lincoln Center junior majoring in mathematics, was a finalist in the fellowship competition.

In addition, Christine Gonzalez (FCLC ’06) has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to travel to New Zealand, where she will pursue a research project titled “Maori as City-Dwellers: A Case Study in Indigenous-State Relations.” Catherine Ruiz (FCLC ’07) has been selected to receive a fellowship from the California-based Merage Foundation for the American Dream. The foundation promotes expanded opportunities for immigrants to the United States.

Fordham’s HEOP program is designed to provide students of modest economic means with educational and financial assistance to achieve success. The program was created in 1969 by the New York State legislature.

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Janet Sassi is editor/associate director of internal communications. She can be reached at (212) 636-7577 or [email protected]