Presidential Graduate Fellowships Awarded to Two Mavericks

University of Nebraska System President Ted Carter has announced the recipients of the 2021-2022 Presidential Graduate Fellowships.

The prestigious fellowships are awarded to a select group of NU graduate students each year on the basis of high academic performance and personal accomplishment. Fellows receive an annual stipend made available through the University of Nebraska Foundation that allows them to pursue their studies full-time at either the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), or University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL).

Recipients are pursuing advanced degrees in a variety of fields of study.

UNO’s recipients are:

Felipe Blanco, a Ph.D. candidate in Public Administration. Blanco is pursuing a Ph.D. at UNO in Public Administration with concentrations in Public Policy and Public Administration Theory. After earning a Bachelor’s degree with honors in Economics from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Public Policy from Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), he became an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Public Administration at CIDE.

Blanco came to UNO as a student in 2018 and in that time has been recognized for his work from professional organizations in the fields of Public Policy and Public Administration. These awards include the Equity and Inclusion Fellowship from the Association for Public Policy and Management (APPAM), and the prestigious Founders’ Fellowship from the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA).

Robyn Tait, a Masters student in English. Tait is continuing her Masters in English with a focus on Creative Nonfiction at UNO and pursuing an Advanced Writing Certificate in Creative Nonfiction at UNO, after receiving a Bachelor of General Studies degree.

Earlier this year, her essay, “Every Twenty Minutes for Twenty Seconds,” was published on a leading journal for creative nonfiction named Brevity, with another one of her essays, "A Voice of Determination: Elsie Harlan” being published in the Women’s Archive Project. Her other experiences include giving her presentation “Why Has Omaha Forgotten the Omahas: A Naïve Analysis,” at the “You Are Here” Conference at Creighton University and the Nebraska Indian Community College.