Fellowships

The Library of Columbia University with students sitting on steps outside on a sunny day.

The Council of Women World Leaders (CWWL) partners with several graduate schools at Columbia University with its highly acclaimed Student Fellowship Program. The program offers graduate students the unique opportunity to work directly with women leaders of stature and influence, and to learn first-hand, the substance of gender issues addressed in the work. To this date, the Council has administered this successful and unique program for over 20 years, placing hundreds of graduate students in the offices of Council members, ministers, and international organizations around the world. The Fellowship program is under the leadership of Patricia Deyton, Senior Advisor for CWWL.

For the 2026 period, four graduate students are placed in Fellowships over the summer months:

  • Hannah Taschbach, a dual degree student at the School of  International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and the London School of Economics and Political Science.  Her placement is at The Reykjavík Global Forum in Reykjavík, Iceland. 

  • Julianna Buitrago Riviera,  a Master of Public Administration candidate specializing in Gender and Equality at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.  Her placement is at the Club de Madrid, in Madrid, Spain.

  • Khalan Pitt, a candidate for a Master of Science in Social Work Policy and Practice at the School of Social Work at Columbia University.  Her placement is in Malta at the Office of Her Excellency, Maria Louise Coleiro, former President of Malta.

  • Eden Kaduri, a candidate for Master of Public Administration, Data Science for Policy at the School of International and Public affairs at Columbia University.  Her placement is at the King's Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College in London, England.

The Council welcomes inquiries from other universities about participation in the Fellowship Program. For any universities interested, please email us at council@unfoundation.org  to inquire about the requirements for participation. 

Current & Previous Placement Sites

    • European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark

    • Ministry of the Environment, Quito, Ecuador

    • Ministry of the Environment, Panama City, Panama

    • Ministry of the Environment, Reykjavík, Iceland

    • United Nations Development Programme, New York, NY

    • USA United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya

    • Office of the Swiss Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications, Bern, Switzerland

    • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva, Switzerland​

    • The Office of the Former President of Malta, H.E. Marie-Louise Colerio Preca, Malta

    • The Reykjavik Global Forum, Reykjavik, Iceland

    • The F.W. de Klerk Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa

    • The Club de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    • Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), Cambridge, UK and Toronto, Canada - Her Excellency Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia

    • Council of Women World Leaders (CWWL), Washington, DC

    • The World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland

    • The Angie Brooks International Center, Monrovia, Liberia

    • United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), New York, NY

    • NY Ministry of Human Services & Social Security, Georgetown, Guyana

    • UN Women, New York, NY

    • Stonebridge Group, Washington, DC

    • Office of the Federal Ministry for Family, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth, Berlin, Germany

    • Global Institute for Women's Leadership, London, UK - Her Excellency Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia

    • Federal Ministry of Health, Berlin, Germany

    • World Health Organization, Department of Public Health and Environment Gender Focal Point, Geneva, Switzerland

    • Pan-American Health Organization, Gender Equity Division, External Relations, Washington, DC

    • Aspen Global Health and Development, Washington, DC

    • World Health Organization, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, Geneva, Switzerland

    • Ministry of Health, Tarawa, Kiribati

    • Ministry of Health, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    • Ministry of Health and Prevention, Dakar, Senegal

    • Ministry of Health, Apia, Samoa

    • Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Monrovia, Liberia

    • Ministerial Leadership Initiative for Global Health, Washington DC

    • United Nations Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, New York, NY

    • National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland

    • Pan-American Health Organization, Washington, DC

    • World Economic Forum, New York, NY

    • Aspen Global Health Initiative, Washington, DC

    • Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves at the UN Foundation, Washington, DC

    • The Yellow House, Copenhagen, Denmark 

  • "Overall, this fellowship changed my life. It never occurred to me that I would ever have an opportunity like this–ever. I have always been interested in program planning and women’s leadership, which is what I was able to do with RGF."

    Lillian Hohag - Reykjavik Global Forum (2024)

  • "Getting to learn from The Yellow House and Shanelle Hall on how to guide global health entities and improve the culture and collaboration in the global health space was a truly unparalleled experience."

    Hannah George – The Yellow House (2024)

  • "The CWWL Fellowship has significantly impacted my career perspectives and future plans by broadening my understanding of how my social work background can be applied to international development and policy work"

    Vigie Ramos Rios – The Club de Madrid (2024)

  • “The Council for Women World Leaders Fellowship is an incredible experience and a great opportunity for students to learn more about global policy, global politics, engaging with important stakeholders, increasing communication skills, and improving research and community engagement skills.”

    Mahum Naveed – The Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (2024)