Student Accomplishments

CCNY Undergraduate Gilles Seuolio Earns PPIA Junior Summer Institute Fellowship

Political science major Gilles Seulio was accepted into the highly selective Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute at the University of Washington for the summer of 2023. PPIA is a not-for-profit organization supporting efforts to increase diversity in graduate studies in public policy and international affairs.

Originally from Cameroon, Seulio became interested in public service in 2008, while attending high school in Douala, when violent protests broke out following a transit workers’ strike. Police began shooting people. Seulio recalls having to run home from school in a 20-minute terrified sprint. At that moment, he became interested in politics. “I wanted to understand why it happened and what could have been done to prevent it,” Seulio said.

Seulio attended the PPIA program at the University of Washington Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, where he and the other participants learned new analytical skills through a variety of experiences, from academic study to field trips to engagement with community leaders, regional leaders, and elected officials. Read the full story here.

Colin Powell Fellow Awarded Truman Scholarship

Ayesha Khan, a member of the CCNY Class of 2023, was named as a Harry S. Truman Scholar. She is one of 62 exceptional students from 60 U.S. colleges and universities selected as 2023 Scholars by the Board of Trustees of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.

The highly competitive Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the nation. Selection is based on a combination of career and graduate study interests, community service and academic achievement.

Born of Indian immigrant parents, Khan received a BS in biomedical sciences from the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program in the CUNY School of Medicine, with a minor in public policy from the Colin Powell School, where she is also a Colin Powell Fellow in Leadership and Public Service.