UNA alum wins State Department IT fellowship

FLORENCE – A North Alabama alumnus is taking his degree and talents to the U.S. government.

Following a highly competitive application process, Brandon Sanders, who graduated in 2019 with his bachelor of Business Administration, is one of 15 individuals nationwide to be selected by the U.S. Department of State for the notable Foreign Affairs Information Technology Fellowship.

In this two-year fellowship program, Sanders will receive up to $87,000 in academic funding for a two-year IT-related master’s degree program, two summer internships, professional development, and mentorship.

Upon completion of the fellowship, Sanders will receive an appointment in the Foreign Service as an information management specialist.

“When I found the FAIT Fellowship, I realized it matches what I need perfectly to pursue a career in the Foreign Service,” said Sanders, a graduate of the Cole Honors College. “Through the fellowship’s internships, professional development, and mentorship, this program is designed to provide a career path to becoming a Foreign Service information management specialist and to ensure that I can develop my IT skills to support U.S. diplomacy overseas.”

Born in Cincinnati and raised in Alabama, Sanders said he considers Alabama his home.
As first-generation college student, he attended UNA and received his B.B.A. in Computer Information Systems. As an undergraduate student, Sanders studied in China and Japan for a year each. After graduating, he worked in South Korea for a year on a Fulbright grant.

As a FAIT fellow, he is pursuing a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of Alabama.

Funded by the Department of State and administered by The Washington Center, the FAIT
Fellowship aims to attract top technology talent that represents the ethnic, racial, gender, social, and geographic diversity of the United States. The FAIT Fellowship encourages applications from women, minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, and those with financial need.

“We’re very proud of the talented, diverse group of students selected for the 2023 cohort of this unique fellowship program,” said Kim Churches, president of The Washington Center. “As a pathway to complete an undergraduate or graduate degree and to launch a career in the Foreign Service, the FAIT Fellowship is truly an opportunity of a lifetime.”