Thanks to your donations, the Straus Historical Society is pleased to announce that Bukuru Anastazie, Lok Darjee, Emily Daroga, and Eliza Fairbrother have been selected to each receive a $5,000 Straus Scholarship. The Straus Historical Society Scholarship Program was created with the goal of supporting the continuing education of a graduate student whose professional goal is in the field of public service.
Bukuru Anastazie
Bukuru Anastazie is enrolled at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs pursuing a Master of International Affairs and a Juris Doctor in International Human Rights Law. She is specializing in the geographic region of Sub-Saharan Africa. Growing up in a refugee camp in Tanzania, Bukuru witnessed the consequences of weak political institutions and anarchy arising from a lack of proper social services. She hopes to become a policymaker for the African Union developing regional policies and laws to facilitate economic, political, and cultural exchanges across the African continent. She also hopes to become a constitutional lawyer, working with African nations, helping them develop more vigorous and resilient constitutions that will adapt to changing times while ensuring a system of checks and balances to promote accountability from governmental officials.
"Throughout my lived experience, I have witnessed the consequences of weak political institutions and anarchy arising from a lack of proper social services. As a public servant, I hope to work as a policy maker, creating and advocating for social welfare policy reforms to build a safety net for low-income families in rural areas who do not have access to healthcare, education, or other social programs due to a lack of or distribution failure by the government." - Bukuru Anastazie
Lok Darjee
Lok Darjee is enrolled at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs pursing a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Economic and Political Development. As a first-generation refugee student from Nepal, he used his experience to create a non-profit organization called Project Refugee Education to mentor refugee students in Idaho and Utah. Project Refugee Education has helped more than one hundred students attend universities, community colleges and technical schools. Lok has been recognized by national and international organizations and institutes for his advocacy in reforming refugees’ education and reducing related inequalities. He hopes to work with the United Nations Education Department or for an educational think tank to raise concerns and to seek a means to facilitate refugee education.
"My experiences in an unjust world will continue to drive me to rectify the intergenerational inequalities that inhibit the ability of disadvantaged people to have unencumbered access to civil rights and liberties and to enjoy the full quality of life." - Lok Darjee
Emily Daroga
Emily Daroga is enrolled at American University School of International Service pursuing a degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution with a concentration in Reconciliation and Justice. She is seeking to understand how to maintain the humanity of people across political and identity-related differences while also addressing socioeconomic inequality. Her experience as an elementary school teacher at a Title I school helped concentrate her focus on class and income-related issues. Emily wants to help improve working conditions and compensation for those working in the most essential jobs: farmers, educators, garment factory workers, etc., by supporting labor advocacy efforts through journalism or by working as a union organizer. She hopes to work on strategic research, as an organizer for local unions, or with international labor rights organizations.
"I chose to study International Peace and Conflict Resolution to understand how to maintain the humanity of people across political and identity-related differences while also addressing socioeconomic inequality...I see myself as a dedicated public servant, as a peacekeeper and a coalition builder – someone who can bridge the gap between multiple groups to help us fight more cohesively for labor rights." - Emily Daroga
Eliza Fairbrother
Eliza Fairbrother is enrolled at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs pursing a Master of Public Administration with a focus on International Conflict Resolution, Human Rights, and Economic Policy. As a result of experiences working with women’s networks in Colombia, and with the organization, Radical Flexibility Fund, Eliza’s ambition is to be a part of creating a necessary paradigm shift within the international funding system so that local actors are supported and empowered to develop their own solutions for building and sustaining peace. Her ultimate goal is to work within the US foreign assistance framework or at a major U.S. foundation or INGO where she can contribute to advancing innovative financing strategies and developing trust-based partnerships with grassroots organizations and change makers working to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
"As a citizen of the United States, a global leader in the fields of development, peace and security, I am motivated to advance these types of innovative funding practices within the US foreign assistance framework and private philanthropic space." - Eliza Fairbrother
The scholarship committee and the judges are pleased to announce Claire Callahan and Safiya Noel as Honorary Straus Scholars for 2023.