• Applicants must identify as female and be currently enrolled at an accredited U.S. university or college, either full-time or part-time. Applicants must be Juniors or Seniors in undergraduate or enrolled in graduate studies.  
• Awards ($1,500) will be based on the quality of the assigned essay and the applicant's demonstrated interested in international trade and are made without regard to race, creed, color, sexual orientation or religion.  

• One full year of personal mentorship by a WIIT Trust or a WIIT member.
• One full year of membership to WIIT.

Former Georgia House of Representatives Member Stacey Abrams is an alumna of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. She was most recently awarded the 2019 Lyndon B. Johnson School's Distinguished Public Service Award. Abrams made history when she became the first black woman in U.S. history to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party and won more votes than any other Democrat in Georgia’s history. This past January, she made history once again and became the first black woman to deliver the Democratic response to the State of the Union Address. 

Abrams is also a lifelong member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). During an interview at the Conference on Diversity in International Affairs at CFR this past April, Abrams elaborated on the importance of an international affairs education and understanding of foreign policy: "...I no longer believe that there is a bright line between domestic and foreign policy...[Y]ou cannot be an effective leader in domestic policy if you do not understand how foreign policy not only informs, but sometimes challenges and pushes into relief the tensions that exist."

To read more about Stacey Abrams, please click here. 

Since 1970, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin has developed a strong tradition of public service and cutting-edge research on the most compelling public policy challenges of our time. Its mission is to develop leaders and ideas that will help the state, the nation, and the international community address critical public policy challenges in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world.

Drawing upon a world-renowned, multidisciplinary faculty; a diverse and talented group of masters and PhD students; and the resources of the University of Texas at Austin, one of the world’s leading research universities, the LBJ School is well positioned to help shape public policy in the 21st century.