10/18/2009 7:11:00 PM
ACHIEVERS:
Prescott woman pursues career in international criminal law
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Courtesy photo
Prescott native Raquel Stringer, left, poses with her former boss, then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Stringer, a 2004 Prescott High School graduate, is attending law school in Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and plans to pursue a career in international law.
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Raquel Stringer, a fourth-generation Prescott resident, met national and world leaders while working in the U.S. State Department and White House in Washington, an experience that might prepare her for a career on the world stage.
Stringer, a first-year law student at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and 2004 Prescott High School graduate, said she wants to pursue a career in international criminal law.
"I think I want to be able to protect individuals' rights," Stringer said.
An opportunity arose for Stringer, 23, after she applied successfully for the Bill Archer Fellowship Program for University of Texas students to spend the spring 2008 semester in Washington. Twenty-two students from throughout the nine-campus university system participated.
As a fellow, Stringer interned in the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the State Department under the leadership of then-Secretary Condoleezza Rice.
The selection process was competitive, according to Colleen Davies, program coordinator for the Archer Center in Washington.
"We bring in the best and the brightest from the UT system schools," she said. "We consider it to be very selective based on the leadership skills and their involvement on campus."
Davies said Stringer is a "very charismatic person and is going to go places."
Stringer, who earned bachelor's degrees in psychology and Spanish from the Austin campus in May 2008, said she was responsible for escorting chiefs of state and prime ministers to meetings with Rice, then-President George W. Bush and then-Vice President Dick Cheney. She witnessed American leaders practice diplomacy, and met more than 50 world and foreign leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI, Prince Saud Al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
The internship led to a political appointment as a protocol officer for both the White House and State Department, Stringer said.
Stringer, who is on the board of Vanderbilt Law Republicans, recently received a $2,500 scholarship from the National Federation of Republican Women. The federation awarded National Pathfinder scholarships to Stringer and two other students based on letters of recommendation, college transcripts and essays, said Lisa Ziriax, the federation's communications director.
Stringer, daughter of Valerie and the late Roy Stringer, takes pride in her small-town roots.
"I feel very fortunate growing up in a community that is so supportive of their youth and really presents the opportunity for the children to achieve whatever their dreams may be," she said.
Editor's note: If you have a suggestion of a local person to feature in Achievers, call 445-3333, ext. 2041, or send an e-mail to khedler@prescottaz.com
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Posted: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
HOW OLD WOMAN
HER AGE
Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009
Article comment by:
Pike's
Good for her! Best of luck!
Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009
Article comment by:
Way to go!!
Great story about a great person. The Courier should find and print more of these.
Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009
Article comment by:
Foster Mom
Great job Raquel! What a great message to students: You can take opportunities placed before you and change your life and the world. Don't waste your opportunities, however small they seem. Pursue excellence and watch as doors open to you.
Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009
Article comment by:
Shari
Wow, good for her! What a great experience from her internship. Lately, the individual futures of many has been so bleak with this economic downturn. It always makes me smile when I see someone going after their dreams with the real possibility of accomplishing them. I hope you leave your mark on the world, Ms. Stringer!
Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009
Article comment by:
Cosmopolitan
That is a wonderful goal.
Would she be interested in protecting the rights of international residents in Yavapai county violated by the local law enforcenment and judicil officers? It would be a good start to her future.There is quite a few complaints.
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