Home › Academics › Office of the Provost › Office of Undergraduate Studies › Fellowships & Scholarships

Prestigious Fellowships & Scholarships

PFS Cover Sheet Checklist PDF PFS Faculty Mentor Form PDF

Nailah Barnes Named Fulbright Finalist

by Angela George | May 07, 2022

Spelman Senior Nailah Barnes Receives Fulbright Award

Nailah Barnes, C'2022, is a senior at Spelman College with a double major in International Studies and French with concentrations in Cultural and Curatorial Studies who was recently named a Fulbright Finalist.

As an active member of the campus community, Barnes is a member of the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program, a Bonner Scholar, a UNCF Mellon Mays Research Fellow, a Social Justice Scholar, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, Eta Kappa Chapter. Nailah also directs her non-profit and Registered Student Organization, The Brains with Beauty Project which facilitates dynamic workshops, book clubs, and mentoring engagements with Black girls
ages 8-18.

How Brains and Beauty Began

Barnes recalls how she spent her time growing up reading books while her mother braided her hair; however, she noticed that other girls did not do the same which left her perplexed. “I began to process the images of Black women on social media and found that a lot of times, those images predominately emphasized beauty and the exoticizing of our bodies rather than viewing us as intellectuals, artists, or creators," said Barnes.

As a result, Barnes founded, "The Brains with Beauty" project, an initiative to show that Black women, “can have it all” or in other words, that black women can be both interested in fashion and beauty but also politics, economics, or medicine.

Barnes who is one of the class of 2022's five valedictorians who will graduate on Sunday, May 15, 2022, is interested in global cultural affairs and the power of the arts to educate, unite and inspire. She traces this passion to several research and curatorial experiences throughout the U.S., France, Tanzania, and the Caribbean, as well as training in the realms of international affairs and diplomacy as a Charles B. Rangel Scholar.

As a Curatorial Fellow at the High Museum of Art, Barnes works closely with curators to bring to life exhibitions that center historically marginalized artists. She also serves as a researcher and archivist. In conjunction with the architecture firm Cooper Cary and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, she is currently working on a cultural heritage project documenting the historical significance and notable features of the Rockefeller Fine Arts Building at Spelman College.

After graduating from Spelman, the Massachusetts native will continue her work as a curator, researcher and educator in Dakar, Senegal as a Fulbright Research Grant recipient. She will also complete a Pulitzer Reporting Fellowship in Venice, Italy on racial, national and gender-based inclusion at the Venice Biennale.

Large Blue Quote Left

I am immensely honored and grateful to be the recipient of a Fulbright Research Grant to Senegal. This opportunity is a chance for me to expand upon my current research projects on Black American migration patterns, and begin new ones focusing on contemporary art in the African diaspora and Senegal's emergence as a complex cultural hub. I look forward to honing in on my passions at the intersection of diplomacy and the arts."

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and citizens of other countries.

In her free time, Barnes enjoys running, reading, learning to play the bass guitar, and spending quality time with her family and friends. Read more about my research projects here.

View All

Scholar Spotlight

Nailah Barnes Named Fulbright Finalist

May 2022

How Brains and Beauty Began

In her free time, Barnes enjoys running, reading, learning to play the bass guitar, and spending quality time with her family and friends. Read more about my research projects here.

View All Stories

Meet Our Scholars

Domestic Opportunities

Domestic opportunities are managed by DeKimberlen Neely, Ph.D. and Stacy Washington, M.A.

ARTHUR LIMAN PUBLIC INTEREST SUMMER FELLOWSHIP
The Liman Summer Fellowship gives juniors and seniors the opportunity to work at substantive summer internships in the field of public interest law/social justice.

ASTRONAUT SCHOLARSHIP
Scholarships are awarded to students seeking a STEM degree with intentions to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degrees. Sophomores and juniors who plan to conduct research during their junior and/or senior semesters are eligible to apply.

BARRY GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP
The Barry Goldwater Foundation awards scholarships to college students who are in their sophomore or junior term and intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

BEINECKE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Scholarships are awarded for the graduate education of young men and women of exceptional promise, to pursue opportunities available to them and to be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

HARRY S. TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP
Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation supports the graduate education and professional development of outstanding young people committed to public service leadership. Applicants should demonstrate extensive record of campus and community service; a high probability of becoming a "change agent"; and strong academic record.

UDALL UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP
The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to Native American nations or to the environment.

International Opportunities

International opportunities are managed by Andrea Lewis, Ph.D. Learn more about International Studies Fellowships and Internships.

CHARLES B. RANGEL INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP
The Rangel Program is a U.S. State Department program administered by Howard University that seeks to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers as diplomats in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. The program seeks individuals interested in helping to shape a freer, more secure and prosperous world through formulating, representing, and implementing U.S. foreign policy. The Program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women, and those with financial need.

Spelman Application Deadline: Thursday, September 14, 2023

FULBRIGHT U.S. STUDENT PROGRAM
Chosen for their leadership potential, Fulbright fellows are given the opportunity to study, teach, or conduct research in other countries, and develop international competence and cross-cultural expertise.

Spelman Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 26, 2023

LUCE SCHOLARS PROGRAM
The Luce Scholars Program is a nationally competitive fellowship program. It was launched by the Henry Luce Foundation in 1974 to enhance the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society. The program provides stipends, language training, and individualized professional placement in Asia for 15-18 Luce Scholars each year, and welcomes applications from college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals in a variety of fields who have had limited exposure to Asia.

Spelman Application Deadline: Monday, October 2, 2023

MARSHALL SCHOLARSHIPS
Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom. Up to forty Scholars are selected each year to study at graduate level at an UK institution in any field of study.

Spelman Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 12, 2023

RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS
The Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world. Rhodes Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and to the common good, and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead. Each year 32 young students from the United States are selected.

Spelman Application Deadline: Wednesday, September 20, 2023

SCHWARZMAN FUTURE GLOBAL LEADERS SCHOLARSHIP
Designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders, Schwarzman Scholars is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century. Whether in politics, business or science, the success of future leaders around the world will depend upon an understanding of China’s role in global trends. The program gives the world’s best and brightest students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and professional networks through a one-year Master’s Degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing – one of China’s most prestigious universities.

Spelman Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 5, 2023

THOMAS R. PICKERING FOREIGN AFFAIRS FELLOWSHIP
The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program is a program funded by the U.S. Department of State, administered by Howard University, that attracts and prepares outstanding young people for Foreign Service careers in the U.S. Department of State. It welcomes the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the State Department, women, and those with financial need. Based on the fundamental principle that diversity is a strength in our diplomatic efforts, the program values varied backgrounds, including ethnic, racial, social, and geographic diversity.

Spelman Application Deadline: Thursday, September 7, 2023

Other Prestigious Opportunities

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

Graduate Feeder Program
The UGA Graduate Feeder program provides a supportive transition for undergraduate students as they learn about applying to graduate school and as they begin to assume the role of a graduate student at UGA.
UGA Graduate Feeder Program Details
UGA Graduate Feeder Program Application Instructions (PDF)
UGA Graduate Feeder Program Application (DOC)

Gateway Graduate School Bridge Program
The Gateway to Graduate School Bridge Program allows incoming graduate students from historically underrepresented backgrounds to begin their graduate education at the University of Georgia in the summer semester rather than the fall.
UGA Gateway Graduate School Bridge Program Details

Contact Us

Office of Undergraduate Studies
350 Spelman Lane SW, Box 1349
Atlanta, GA 30314
404-270-5701
404-270-5698 (fax)

PFS Forms

Cover Sheet & Checklist (PDF)
Faculty Mentor Form (PDF)