A Trio of Gould Grads Named Clinton Fellows

As fellows, Sujata Awasthi, Kelly McVey and Shana Emile – all 2017 Gould graduates – will be based in New York City. Awasthi will work for Clinton Foundation Legal team; McVey for Clinton Global Initiative University; and Emile for the Clinton Climate Initiative.

The Clinton Foundation focuses on tackling a number of the world’s greatest challenges: global health, climate change, economic development, health and wellness, and improving opportunities for girls and women.

“We are thrilled and honored that three of our graduating law students were selected for this esteemed fellowship,”

Sujata Awasthi (left), Shana Emile (middle), and Kelly McVey (right)

said Rachel Kronick Rothbart, who as director of career services at Gould coordinates the school’s COB fellowship program. “The Fellowship serves as a terrific launching pad for our graduates, many of whom pursue social justice careers.  We are grateful for the support of the Orfalea Foundation and the Brittingham Family Foundation.

Since 2007, the foundation’s post-graduate fellowship program has provided support for recent graduates of USC’s Gould School of Law, Marshall School of Business and Price School of Public Policy.

This year, the committee selected all Gould students.

Emile will begin working in the fall with Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Climate Initiative’s Island Energy Program. The program aims to reduce the impact of climate change by creating resilient communities.

She will use her legal and policy knowledge to help Caribbean island governments and utilities design and implement waste and water solutions. “The goal is to reduce fossil fuel consumption and assist the transition to a low-carbon economy,” Emile said. “Additionally, I will be creating content in order to help grow the Women in Renewable Energy (WIRE) network, a social network that empowers women in the Caribbean to pursue leadership in energy and have a seat at the table.”

McVey will work for the Clinton Global Initiative University, which brings together more than 1,000 students to make a difference in education, climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, and public health.

As the Legal Fellow, Awasthi will work on day-to-day legal matters of the Clinton Foundation and its affiliated initiatives, entities and programs. She will work with attorneys on drafting and reviewing contracts with strategic partners and on governance and compliance-related matters.

 “I feel so honored to have the opportunity to spend the next year working in the Clinton Foundation’s in-house Legal Department,” she said. “I have dreamed of working for the Clinton Foundation since high school, and I am thrilled to be able to launch my legal career supporting the Foundation’s high-impact social change programs.”