Sean Massa (COL '15) wins prestigious Rangel Fellowship

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The Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University is proud to announce that Sean Massa was awarded a 2022 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship following a highly competitive nationwide selection process.  The Rangel Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University, supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue a career in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State.  The fellowship will support Sean through a two-year master’s degree in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service.  It will also provide extensive professional development opportunities, including internships, mentors, and skills training.  As part of the Rangel Program, Sean will intern with a Member of Congress on issues related to foreign affairs in summer 2022.  In summer 2023, the U.S. Department of State will send him overseas to intern in a U.S. Embassy or Consulate to get hands-on experience in U.S. foreign policy and the work of the Foreign Service.  Upon successful completion of the program, Sean will become a U.S. diplomat in summer 2024, embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding careers of service to his country.  He will work to advance U.S. interests, protect American citizens, and promote peace and prosperity around the world.

Sean Massa graduated from the College in 2015 with a major in Health and Societies with a concentration in global health and a minor in philosophy. A mixed Native student, he was an advocate for the indigenous community as co-chair at Natives at Penn, a student organization housed at Greenfield Intercultural Center. Massa also served as the vice-president of the Ivy Native Council, a representative of the United Minorities Council, a teaching assistant for the iBelieve Interfaith Dialogue in Action Course, a participant of the Intercultural Leadership Program, a participant of the LGBT Center mentorship program, a co-chair of the Queer Christian Fellowship, and a Baccalaureate Speaker. He studied abroad in Vietnam, South Africa, and Brazil through the International Honors Program on Health and Community. After graduating from Penn, Massa was a Princeton in Asia fellow in Indonesia (2015), interned with the United Nations in Indonesia (2016, 2017), and pursued graduate degrees at Yale (2018) and the University of Hong Kong (2022). As a Rangel fellow, he will receive a two-year master’s degree of relevance to the Foreign Service, intern with a Member of Congress, intern at a U.S. Embassy abroad, and become a U.S. diplomat in summer 2024. Massa hopes to advance democracy, human rights, and peace around the world.

Sean’s journey has now led him to the Rangel Fellowship, and he hopes to serve as a Political or Public Diplomacy Officer.  Reflecting on his selection into the program, Sean credits his accomplishments to the GIC, faculty and fellow students at Penn and Yale, and the various programs that gave him opportunities to study and work overseas.  He added, “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for my mentors, who helped me to find strength in my mixed identity and discover my passion in life: building bridges of mutual cooperation and understanding that span cultures and nations.”

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