{"id":23767,"date":"2021-05-11T19:11:28","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T23:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2021\/05\/11\/necc-grad-selected-for-state-department-fellowship\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:20:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:20:54","slug":"necc-grad-selected-for-state-department-fellowship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/05\/11\/necc-grad-selected-for-state-department-fellowship\/","title":{"rendered":"NECC Grad Selected for State Department Fellowship"},"content":{"rendered":"

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2020 Grad Enoch Masih has been selected for an I.T. fellowship program funded by the U.S. Department of State.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you want to know what it\u2019s like to have the whole world at your fingertips, just ask recent NECC Computer and Information Science Program<\/a> graduate Enoch Masih of Andover. He is one of only 15 students from across the country to be selected for the prestigious Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship program<\/a>, funded by the U.S. Department of State.<\/p>\n

The program, which is administered by The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (TWC), provides up to $75,000 in academic funding for two years (the junior and senior years of an IT-related undergraduate degree program or a two-year IT-related master\u2019s degree program). Additionally, students participate in two summer internships with stipend support \u2013 one in Washington, D.C., and one at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad \u2013 as well as professional development training.<\/p>\n

It was not a direct path for Masih to this point. After graduating from Andover High School, he moved to Florida and enrolled in school for nursing. But after just a few years, he returned home to help a family member recover from surgery. He also started working at a nearby Apple store and discovered that, while he loved nursing, he might have a future in the technology industry. \u201cWe were allowed to express our creativity, I found my passion in tech as well,\u201d he remembers.<\/p>\n

Masih decided to enroll at NECC to further explore that passion. He says, at first, he was unsure exactly what he wanted to do, but that his professors helped him narrow it down. \u201cThere\u2019s programming, there\u2019s networking, there\u2019s cyber security. I\u2019ve dipped my toes into so many things. NECC has really set me toward my goal.\u201d Masih also became involved on-campus as peer tutor and a member of the National Society of Leadership & Success. He currently works part time at the college as an academic lab technologist.<\/p>\n

Masih graduated from Northern Essex in December 2020 and he will transfer to UMASS Lowell this fall to get his bachelor\u2019s in information technology. In the meantime, Masih continues to take classes at NECC so he can transfer as many credits as possible to UMASS Lowell, something he encourages all students to do.<\/p>\n

After completing the FAIT Fellowship program and meeting State Department requirements, fellows receive appointments as U.S. Foreign Service information management specialists and begin exciting careers using their technology skills to support U.S. diplomacy abroad.<\/p>\n

The 2021 cohort of the FAIT Fellowship is the fifth cohort of this program that launched in 2016 as part of the department\u2019s efforts to attract top technology talent and increase diversity in the Foreign Service.<\/p>\n

Masih is looking forward to exploring the potential for a career in the U.S. Foreign Service. \u201cI\u2019m excited for what\u2019s ahead- when I look back at my experience at NECC, I\u2019m grateful for all the opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Northern Essex offers a variety of technology programs and degrees. You can learn more by visiting our CIS page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This story was written by Melissa Bouse, NECC digital and social media specialist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Enoch Masih is one of only 15 students nationwide selected for this program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":25019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[31,262,609],"class_list":["post-23767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-academic-excellance","tag-foreign-affairs-information-technology-fellowship-program","tag-transfer-student"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNECC Grad Selected for State Department Fellowship - NECC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/05\/11\/necc-grad-selected-for-state-department-fellowship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NECC Grad Selected for State Department Fellowship - 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