Nine Union College seniors chosen to be Minerva Fellows

SCHENECTADY, NY (04/29/2011)(readMedia)-- Nine Union College seniors were recently chosen to represent the College's next Minerva Fellows program. They will travel the globe to work in developing countries while paired up with a social entrepreneurial organization.

The students will work for 11 months and return to the College and live in a Minerva house for one month, where they will participate in a social entrepreneurial course and educate current students about their experiences abroad.

"This year's applicant pool was very competitive," said Thomas McEvoy, associate dean of students and director of Minerva programs. "It makes the selection process difficult, but we're sending some of Union's very best to represent us in developing countries."

The Minerva Fellows Program is like the College's own version of the Peace Corps, offering new graduates a chance to travel abroad on a fellowship for their first year out of college and perform meaningful service opportunities for those in need throughout the world. The first group of Minerva Fellows was selected in 2008.

The latest fellows (with hometowns) and where they are headed are:

Alex Brockwehl (Guilford, Conn.) and Shelby Cutter (Needham, Mass.):

Organization: Yanapuma

Location: Ecuador

Eliza Duquette (York, Maine) and Carolyn Canetti (Chappaqua, N.Y.):

Organization: The Global Child

Location: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Brendan Kinnane (Little Compton, R.I.) and Mark O'Shea (Livermore, Maine):

Organization: Enegye

Location: Uganda

Emily LaCroix (Benton, Maine):

Organization: Bagru Block Printing

Location: Bagru, India

Malebogo Tlhajoane (Gaborone, Botswana):

Organization: Durban, South Africa

Location: The McCord Hospital

Amanda Wald (Larchmont, N.Y.):

Organization: ProWorld

Location: Ghana

For headshots of the students, click here.