About the Fellowship

The Haiti Future Leaders Fellowship Program is a cross-cultural, educational initiative designed to meet two main objectives: first, to involve the Haitian Diaspora in the country’s development process and second, to foster the career development of talented Haitian university students.

The program was established in 2014 under the tutelage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and spearheaded by the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in Washington, D.C. It is a two-way initiative focused on accomplished Haitian and Haitian-American university students and promising young professionals. Selected fellows participate in an eight-week summer assignment either in Washington, D.C. or Port-au-Prince.

The fellows were chosen after a rigorous selection process. The seven candidates chosen for assignments in Washington, D.C. were part of a preselected group of candidates submitted by their respective university. The final selection was conducted by the Fellowship Committee of the Embassy. They will work in various offices at the Embassy in the U.S. capital. They will also engage with Washington-based institutions with which the Embassy collaborates. The six fellows headed to assignments in Haiti were selected through a competitive application process, and several rounds of review. They will be posted in key public institutions, where they will work closely with senior government officials to gain experience in public administration and policy making, and use their education and skills to enhance the work of these agencies.

The inaugural class is named after the late Anténor Firmin, one of Haiti’s most renowned public servants and public policy scholars. His commitment to public administration and civic engagement, his astute political mind, and his sharp diplomatic skills are still widely admired and studied in Haiti and abroad 103 years after his death. His fervent defense of Haiti’s interest is an inspiration to all Haitian nationals, and a model for dedicated Haitian public servants today.