She's a Winner
by Kevin Cool

Nicole Dannenberg '96 is that rare student who combines extraordinary intellectual gifts with enthusiasm for learning and a winning personality. She is, according to Associate Professor of Government Guilain Denoeux, "simply delightful."
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace apparently agrees. Dannenberg was one of 10 students chosen from the elite of the country's top schools to work alongside a senior associate as a Carnegie Junior Fellow for six months. She is the first Colby student ever selected for a Carnegie fellowship.
"This is a very prestigious appointment," said Patrice Franko, associate professor of economics and international studies and chair of the Carnegie nomination committee. "I don't know any graduate student who wouldn't drop what they were doing to have this opportunity. This will write her ticket, in combination with her accomplishments at Colby, to whatever graduate program she wants. It's the best opportunity out there for an undergraduate interested in foreign relations."
A semester in Morocco and another semester at the London School of Economics solidified an already strong background in international study and encouraged Dannenberg to pursue programs that would build on her experience. "Carnegie was first on my list," she said. "I knew I wanted to be in Washington so I thought I might as well give it a shot." She heard about her selection on April Fool's Day, which seemed appropriate considering Dannenberg's response. "I couldn't believe it," she said. "I honestly didn't think I had a chance."
She began working at the endowment in early June. Her work includes collaborative research with Carnegie senior associate Adonis Hoffman, director of the endowment's U.S.-Africa Policy Forum. The project capitalizes on Dannenberg's interest in African affairs, which she says stems from her study in Morocco and subsequent reading, which convinced her that "Africa is the most neglected continent." She wrote a research paper on ethnic violence in Nigeria for Denoeux's senior seminar despite being better acquainted with Arab countries of northern Africa. "This is typical of Nicole," Denoeux said. "She does not like shortcuts and does not opt for the easy way out. She knew that the project would represent a greater intellectual challenge and that it would provide her with an opportunity to learn about an area with which she was less familiar."
Dannenberg also will work with Carnegie senior associate Thomas Carothers to review U.S. strategy in Asia, Africa, Latin America and eastern Europe and will review and edit manuscripts for Carnegie's flagship publication, Foreign Policy. Franko and Denoeux say that perhaps the most valuable benefit from Dannenberg's internship will be the contacts she makes in Washington. "She will very quickly learn who people are--academics, policy makers, think-tank people--who help shape and inform policy debates," Franko said. "It's just enormously valuable to have that opportunity."
Denoeux adds that the experience of participating in and coordinating high-level conferences sponsored by Carnegie will equip Dannenberg for future challenges. "She can watch how people operate in those settings and use that knowledge in her career," he said.
Breaking into the intensely competitive Junior Fellow program has long been a goal of Colby faculty. "It's an honor for the institution," Franko said, and it is one more signal of the College's ability to succeed at the highest level.