Baruch College alumnus Hermanoschy Bernard was picked as one of 45 students to receive the 2021 Charles B. Rangel Fellowship.

Bernard, who previously earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, will be completing the fellowship in 2023, after which he will become a U.S. diplomat.

Bernard was born and grew up in Haiti before immigrating to the United States. As someone coming from a low-income immigrant household, his story is an inspiration for fellow students.

He first met a diplomat in the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, which sparked his interest and led him to want to pursue a career in the U.S. government. Since then, he has taken part in multiple internships and programs to reach his dream.

While studying at Baruch, he interned at multiple non-profit organizations including Enterprise Community Partners and the Ford Foundation.

After graduation, he was selected as an urban fellow. The Urban Fellows is a nine-month internship which allows college students and graduates to work alongside their local government. He worked at the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Planning Department.

The Charles B. Rangel Fellowship is a highly vigorous and competitive program which usually accepts only 30 students but accepted a total of 45 this year. The recipients hail from various backgrounds, coming from a total of 21 states, along with Korea and American Samoa.

This year, the program selected a diverse group of individuals who speak a total of 35 different languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Yoruba, Korean and Russian. This program allows college students and graduates to intern in the U.S. Congress and travel to U.S. Embassies overseas to get hands-on experience.

Bernard told Baruch that the most difficult part of the process was discovering why he wanted to pursue a career in foreign service.

“However, after reflecting on my childhood experiences in Haiti, immigrating to the United States and travel abroad experience to Chiang Mai, Thailand, I came up to the realization that this was the career that I have dreamed of ever since I first interacted with a Diplomat at a U.S. Embassy in Haiti,” he said.

The Rangel Fellowship is regulated by Howard University and is funded by the U.S. Department of State.

In this two-year fellowship, Bernard will work towards his master’s degree along with receiving specific training for his career while interning with a Congress member. After a year of interning with a congressmember, he will travel overseas and intern at a U.S. Embassy.