Six Batten students completed public service-focused internships supported by the Frederic S. Bocock Fellowship this summer. Through the generosity of Fred and Mary Buford Hitz, the Bocock Fellowship was created to advance the careers of Batten students in public service, specifically through governmental internship opportunities. 

Fred Hitz began teaching at the Batten School soon after it was founded, inspiring many students with lessons from his own career in public service. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Hitz served with the CIA as part of the Clandestine Service in Africa and later as legislative counsel to the director of Central Intelligence. Hitz was also the first statutory Inspector General of the CIA, appointed by President George H.W. Bush. Earlier in his career, he acted in congressional liaison capacities with the state, defense, and energy departments.

“As a life-long public servant with the Central Intelligence Agency, Fred understands the importance of cultivating future leaders for critical roles within our Federal, state, and local governments,” said Steven Hiss, director of career services and alumni engagement at Batten. “On behalf of the Batten School, I want to thank Fred and Mary Buford Hitz for sponsoring the Bocock Fellows each summer.”

Candidates in undergraduate and graduate Batten School programs are invited to apply for the Bocock Fellowship, and applicants must articulate both a demonstrated record of public service and a genuine desire to use their degrees in a future position of government service in the United States, whether at the local, state, or federal level. 

Fellowship recipients gain vital experience that they might lack access to otherwise. “These fellowships support students who want to devote their time to really important public service work that is otherwise not supported financially,” said fellowship recipient Jordan Sicklick. “They reaffirm Batten’s commitment to developing the public servants of the future by giving them the support and stability to reach their goals.”

The 2020-21 Bocock Fellowship recipients and their summer internships were as follows.

• Kia Azadbakht (BA ‘21) interned in Senator Mark Warner’s office in Washington, DC.
• Ian Baxter (MPP ‘21) served with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.
• Morgan Bedford (MPP ‘21) worked for the U.S. Embassy in Yemen.
• Margaret Servais (MPP ‘21) worked with the U.S. Trade & Development Agency.
• Jordan Sicklick (MPP ‘21) served in the U.S. Department of Justice.
• Landon Webber (MPP ‘21) interned with the Brookings Institution.

For many Bocock Fellows, like Kia Azadbakht, their internship experiences are both affirming and transformative. “After the internship, I’m more motivated to get involved in the public sector and begin contributing to effective policymaking,” Azadbakht said. “It reinforced my belief that a career on Capitol Hill is a truly unique way to impact the lives of millions of people for the better.”

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