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In 2007-2008, alumni, parent and friend investments in the Fund:

• Assisted 100 students with summer internship stipends
• Supported scholarship aid averaging $7,000-$8,000 per student to 92% of the incoming class
• Helped the Ginn Library renew and acquire important books, publications, and databases
• Ensured Fletcher faculty and staff were supported and facilities were well-maintained

Below are some profiles of alumni and students whose lives have been impacted by alumni giving to Fletcher. Your gift could enable Fletcher to do even more to support its students.

Sybil Paukert F'05
“Spending a summer in China reinforced my interest in a strategic management role in a multinational company. The funding from Fletcher opened the doors to many internship opportunities I couldn’t have entertained otherwise.”

Sybil learned early on in her undergraduate career that she was interested in pursuing a career in the international sector. Following a Fulbright in Ukraine and a year teaching in China, Sybil realized that her academic and professional interests could be best pursued with a degree from Fletcher.

In the summer of 2004, Sybil interned for BDA, China, a telecommunications firm in Beijing. She thrived in the small office, learning a great deal about the Chinese telecommunications sector and private sector work in China generally. Sybil believed the best part of her internship was getting the hands-on exposure to the "various challenges and opportunities that present themselves as companies enter the Chinese market.”

Now a Fletcher graduate, Sybil is focusing on international business relations and East Asian affairs and intends to return to China after graduation to work for a smaller multinational firm.

Ashley McIlvain F'05
"I knew having an international post for my internship was necessary to prepare me for a job in my field upon graduation. There is really nothing like putting into practice the theories you learn in the classroom. I simply couldn’t have had this experience without the funding provided by Fletcher.”

Ashley McIlvain came to Fletcher confident in her interest in international rule of law promotion but also aware that she needed a summer internship abroad to help make the transition from domestic to international politics. After years working in an established democracy, she came to Fletcher wanting to learn how to help build democratic systems in newer democracies.

Thanks to Fletcher funding, Ashley interned for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) at the Centre in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She worked on many issues relating to democratic, political, and legal reform. Not only did Ashley’s internship confirm her intellectual passions, but also it provided her with the experiential knowledge that made her an attractive candidate for professional pursuits after graduation.

Miroslav Vazharov, F'05
"My Fletcher education was the materialization of both my dreams and those of my father, who never got the opportunity to study during communism in Bulgaria. Fletcher has opened the world to me; I couldn’t have had this opportunity if it weren’t for the financial aid that I received from the school. My Fletcher education and the school’s support enable me to fulfill the dream of many eastern Europeans to have an impacting and lasting effect in the international arena.”

A native of Bulgaria, Miro’s interest in foreign affairs began when he was quite young, at a time of rapid political changes in Eastern Europe during the 90s. He left his hometown of Burgas on the Black Sea coast to study Middle Eastern history, languages and culture, in the capital city of Sofia, and also in Amman, Jordan. However, while other young Bulgarians fled to the West for school, Miro knew that Bulgaria was facing the most important "watershed in its historical development of 14 centuries.” The country was on the precipice of either "sinking into post-communist turmoil as other eastern European nations or continuing its transition to the West.” He knew he couldn’t leave his homeland without helping in the efforts to rebuild it and restore its international image, so he continued his work in foreign affairs, at the US Embassy to Sofia, as foreign relations aide to the Cabinet of the Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria and finally as spokesperson of a large NGO dealing with the NATO and EU enlargement. Confident that the country was already moving in the right direction, Miro took the chance to come to the States in 2003 as a guest lecturer at the University of Tennessee, where his own transition to the West began.

Miro concentrated on international security studies and the Middle East. Fletcher has provided him with an unforgettable experience and valuable skills and contacts.

Tooch Van, F'04

"Without the financial aid made possible by Fletcher, I would never have been able to move closer to my dream of returning to my country to serve in some leadership capacity and to help others as I have been helped." 

A native of Cambodia, Tooch spent much of his childhood in different foster homes or on the streets of Phnom Penh after his family was murdered by Khmer Rouge soldiers. Defying all odds, Tooch came to the United States, where he earned his associate’s and bachelor’s degrees before coming to Fletcher.

Tooch received his MALD in 2004 and is now a proud member of the Fletcher alumni community. He appreciates his Fletcher experiences and the skills he learned; the critical skills he hopes to use to build "diplomatic bridges between Cambodia and the international community.”