Highly decorated UTC alum named Pickering Fellow

May 2024 graduate Emma Sprayberry is the first UTC student or alum to earn a Pickering Fellowship. Photo by Angela Foster.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga alum Emma Sprayberry has been selected for the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship—a prestigious U.S. Department of State program that prepares individuals for careers in the U.S. Foreign Service.

The May 2024 graduate is the first UTC student or alum to earn a Pickering Fellowship.

Sprayberry, who hails from Rossville, Georgia, was an Innovations in Honors student in the UTC Honors College with majors in both humanities: international studies (with an emphasis on Asian studies) and Spanish—as well as a minor in anthropology.

She is currently in Taichung, Taiwan, on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, teaching English to students in grades 1 through 3 at Shu-De Elementary School.

“The Pickering is the exact award that Emma needs to move on in her career—which I think is going to be quite amazing,” said Dr. Trey Straussberger, director of the UTC Office of National Scholarships. “Emma has been building toward this for five years. This honor reflects the arc of her passion, her preparation and her commitment to a future in diplomacy.”

The merit-based Pickering Fellowship supports exceptional individuals from across the country in preparing for careers in the U.S. Foreign Service. Fellows receive two years of financial support to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs or a related field, along with mentoring, professional development and two high-level internships—one at the State Department in Washington, D.C., and one at an overseas embassy or consulate. Upon completing their graduate studies and meeting State Department entry requirements, fellows commit to at least five years of service as Foreign Service Officers.

Sprayberry said landing the fellowship was a “really overwhelming” and emotional moment.

“It felt like it couldn’t be real,” she said. “I applied months earlier and had gone through so many stages. Getting the email was surreal. I immediately thought of how many people helped me along the way, especially my friends and cohort members who watched me go through the whole process.”

Through Pickering, Sprayberry will pursue a master’s degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)—spending her first year at its Bologna, Italy, campus and her second year in Washington, D.C.

“Getting Pickering means I can afford to go to graduate school and pursue a career in the Foreign Service, which is something I’ve worked toward for years,” she said. “I’m really excited to study in Italy and then finish the program in D.C. It’s going to give me so much exposure and experience before I begin my service.”

At UTC, Sprayberry amassed an impressive list of national competitive awards, including a Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Research Internship, a Killam Fellowship to study at McGill University in Canada, a Gilman Scholarship, a Freeman-ASIA Scholarship, and a Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She studied abroad in Korea, Canada, Spain, Germany and Panama—all before earning her bachelor’s degree.

Sprayberry said her current experience in Taiwan has given her a new perspective on her future, saying she wants to focus on education policy.

“I’ve become more extroverted and I’ve learned how to step into unfamiliar environments and connect with people across language and culture,” she said. “That’s really important to me. I want to pursue a career in public diplomacy, and I know now more than ever that I’m on the right path.”

She also credited the UTC Office of National Scholarships for its role in helping her pursue international opportunities.

“I definitely wouldn’t have these opportunities without ONS,” she said. “I hope more students find out about it. It made all the difference for me.”