Krina Patel is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: An Indian American, Krina Patel, has been named as a 2014 Payne Fellow by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Patel is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), which is located in Richmond, Virginia. During her time at VCU, Patel was a USAID volunteer in the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean, during which time she worked to help provide medical care for underprivileged areas in both regions. She eventually graduated from VCU with a dual-degree in Political Science and International Affairs.
Now, as a Payne Fellow, Patel will have the opportunity to fulfill her dream of joining the USAID’s Foreign Service, as a Health Officer. The Payne Fellowship, which is administered by Howard University, was established to provide financing for aspiring USAID officers to go to graduate school and earn the degree they need to join the esteemed government agency.
With her Payne Fellowship, Patel intends to enroll at the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
“I’ll be in the Department of Health Policy and Management and I’ll be pursuing a global health certificate,” Patel said, in a statement to VCU. “I want to work abroad in global health and development and eventually secure a leadership position in this field.”
At the time of Patel’s announcement as a Paley Fellow, last month, she was working in the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator at the U.S. State Department. Directly after graduating from VCU, Patel interned in the office of U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, who serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Patel – whose family currently resides in the Washington, DC suburb of Fall Church, Virginia – has already accomplished a great deal in her life. But the cherry on top of her appointment as a Payne Fellow is that she is first person in her family to attend graduate school, which is a great accomplishment.
The USAID is headed up by Rajiv Shah, himself of Indian origin. He has been rumored to be President Barack Obama’s top choice to become the next US Ambassador to India.
1 Comment
Old news but congrats. This my ex girlfriend from Falls Church High been trying to locate her for awhile glad to see she is doing well.