Colin Powell School
Thanks to the generosity of former Ambassador Stuart Bernstein, the Colin Powell School launches this fall the Stuart Bernstein Scholarship in International Studies. The inaugural recipients are Nailah Garard and Keith Mulet, both International Studies students. Garard is a senior who is double-majoring in International Studies and Anthropology. She is active in the Politics of Sexual Violence Initiative at the Colin Powell School. Mulet is a first-generation Guatemalan-American also in his senior year majoring in International Studies with a dual BA/MA degree in History as well. He received an award for Best Essay on Women’s History and Feminist Theory while at CCNY and was inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society. The scholarship provides Garard and Mulet each with $2,500 to support their studies this academic year.
Nailah Garard is a senior in the Colin Powell School and Macaulay Honors College at City College of New York. She is double majoring in International Studies and Anthropology with a focus on global and local ways to address criminal and health justice. She is earning a pre-law/legal studies degree under the Skadden Arps Honors program with aspirations to work as a public defender. Currently, she is interning at the New York City Comptroller’s office writing policy and legislative background for the 2019 New York City Agency Annual Report Card on minority and women-owned businesses. She is a scholar-activist and researcher for Beyond Identity under the Politics of Sexual Violence initiative where she specializes in black feminist theory, incarceration and gender violence. As a Partners for Change Fellowship recipient, she researched student trauma and student perceptions of health wellness resources available on campus. Her developing political work includes polemics, poetry and visual media to raise sociopolitical consciousness and engage community. On campus, she serves as the City College Chapter Representative for the Roosevelt Institute, Community Service Chair for the National Council of Negro Women, and a peer mentor.
Keith Mulet is a first-generation Guatemalan-American in his final year at the Colin Powell School. As an International Studies undergraduate major, he has paired his education with a dual-BA/MA degree in History in order to gain greater context for understanding International Relations theory and humanitarian policy. While at City College, he has been awarded the Best Essay on Women’s History and Feminist Theory, inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society, and invited to the National Society of Leadership and Success. As both a native New Yorker and a product of economic displacement in response to the Guatemalan civil war, Keith is passionate about addressing the conditions that drive modern-day displacement, the criminalization of migrants, and the shifting paradigms of race rhetoric employed in political, journalistic and legal discourse. His activism has been featured in the TimesLedger newspaper, The Advocate magazine and in Here! TV’s movie documentary “Here with Pride.” Keith has worked for several local, national and international mission-driven organizations in a wide variety of contexts. His professional experience includes working with child and family service accrediting bodies, LGBTQ youth centers, The Hague international adoption agencies, and, most recently, as an animal welfarist. Inspired by his transnational roots, his work in social advocacy and his scholarly research in migration and race, Keith plans to continue his studies by way of Columbia University’s Master of Science program in Nonprofit Management. He aspires to continue leading the invaluable impact of nonprofit organizations on at-risk communities. Upon graduation from City College, Keith Mulet will be the first in his family to hold a graduate degree.