Melanie Randall,' 17, named Foreign Affairs IT Fellow

2022 update on this story: Randall now works as an information management specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Melanie Randall, ’17 (B.S. Information Technology), has been named a 2018 Foreign Affairs IT Fellow, one of only five awardees nationally. The FAIT prepares students for careers as Foreign Affairs IT Specialists in the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Service and provides financial support for graduate school, mentorship, and funding for two summer internships with the State Department. Students will, according to a program fact sheet, “apply technology solutions to the business of diplomacy.”

Melanie is a first-generation college student who transferred to UW Tacoma from Highline College in 2015. Prior to UW Tacoma, she was a pastry chef in restaurants on the East Coast, in the Southwest, and right here in Washington. She has also worked in sales, customer service, and at the IT help desk for REI. She may not have realized it then, but these fast-paced, multi-cultural environments have prepared her well for her future role as a Foreign Affairs IT Specialist.

Melanie is also the proud mother of a daughter who’s attending college. With support of the FAIT Fellowship, Melanie will be pursuing a Master of Science in Information Management at the Information School on UW’s Seattle campus.