2012-2013 PNK Fellowship: Fellows and Honorable Mentions selected

August 16, 2012 · Buenos Aires, Argentina

The President of The New School University David E. Van Zandt introduced the selected Fellows for the second edition of the PNK Fellowship, along the Provost of the Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Carlos Ruta, and other authorities. Fellows selected for 2012-2013 are Cecilia María Minaverry (Argentina), Lucas de Moraes Rego Noura Guimaraes (Brazil) and Jeremy Roland Álvarez Chávez (Peru). In addition, three honorable mentions were awarded. The six awards were selected among 67 candidates from 8 South American countries. The announcement was made ​​at the Casa Patria Grande and was attended by Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers of Argentina, Juan Manuel Abal Medina, and the Argentine Ambassador to the United States Jorge Argüello.

The selection of the Fellows and honorable mentions is the result of a rigorous evaluation process carried out in three stages. During this eight-week process, all applicants were evaluated by an extensive and diverse jury comprised of 42 renowned individuals from academia and public service from 9 South American countries and the United States.

The jury focused on demonstrated academic excellence, commitment to public service and relevance of the issues raised by candidates. They were also pleased with the broad spectrum of professional fields of the candidates and the originality of their approach on issues such as international economic law, regional energy integration, human rights and indigenous peoples, the role of the State, poverty and social policies.

For the last stage of this evaluation process, the jury was comprised of Juan Manuel Abal Medina (Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, Presidency of the Nation, Argentina), Jorge Argüello (Ambassador of Argentina to the United States), Francisco Carrión Mena (Director of International Affairs at FLACSO and former Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States), Mercedes Marcó del Pont (President of the Central Bank of Argentina), María Nieves Rico (on behalf of Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary at ECLAC), Carlos Ruta (Provost, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina), Saskia Sassen (Co-Chair Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University, United States), David Scobey (Executive Dean, The New School for Public Engagement, United States), Jorge Taiana (General Director, International Center for Political Studies, Universidad Nacional de San Martín and former Foreign Relations Minister of Argentina), Juan Carlos Tedesco (Professor at UNSAM and former Minister of Education of Argentina) and David E. Van Zandt (President of The New School University, United States). Among the 21 finalists, the jury selected three Fellows and three honorable mentions for the 2012-2013 Fellowship edition.

On Thursday August 16, the winners of the second edition were announced in a public event at the Casa Patria Grande Presidente Néstor Kirchner, led by Carlos Ruta rector and David E. Van Zandt, who were accompanied by the President of the Casa Patria Grande Presidente Néstor Kirchner, Pablo Vilas; the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers of Argentina, Juan Manuel Abal Medina, and the Ambassador of Argentina to the United States, Jorge Argüello.

The winners

The first Fellow selected for the 2012-2013 period Cecilia María Minaverry, from Argentina, a lawyer specialized in tax law from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Masters in International Studies at the University of the Basque Country, and Doctoral candidate of Law and Social Sciences in Law and Social Sciences School at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, currently working as lawyer in permanent staff at the Federal Public Revenue Administration, Córdoba Regional Direction. She submitted the essay “The failure of the formula “ICSID + TIBs” during the 2001 crisis in Argentina.”

In the second category, the selected candidate was Lucas de Moraes Rego Noura Guimaraes, from Brazil. Master in Law and Public Policy at University Center of Brasilia – UniCEUB. He served as legal advisor to the Federal Attorney in the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) of Brazil. Noura is the author of the essay “Energy integration based on renewable sources as a means of development.”

The third awarded candidate was Jeremy Roland Álvarez Chávez, from Peru, a sociologist and LGBT activist for Homosexual Movement of Lima (Mhol), with a specialization in social development projects, with emphasis on health issues, citizen participation, human rights, surveillance and advocacy, and social research projects, with emphasis on health issues, sexuality, gender and society. The essay submitted for the Fellowship was “Structural Violence and its Consequences in the LGBT Community: Reproduction of Poverty, Exclusion and Marginalization Situation.”

The three Fellows will travel to New York for a two-week stay at The New School to present their work to graduate students and scholars. They will also meet with political leaders and visit government agencies.

The 2012-2013 Call

This second call was open from February to June 2012, and was widely disseminated throughout South America. The Fellowship is inspired by the legacy and achievements of former President Néstor Kirchner during his term as President of Argentina (2003-2007), coupled with his important work as the first Secretary General of UNASUR (2010). It is aimed at the training of young leaders in Argentina and South America, working in the public service and academic fields. The Fellowship consists of an exchange of ideas and experiences between the Fellow and academics, politicians, and civil society members in the city of New York. It covers a two-week stay, during predetermined dates, and will take place at The New School University, where the Fellow will present his/her work and experience to students, academics, and political and civil society leaders.

The diversity and quality of the applicants for the President Néstor Kirchner Fellowship 2012-2013 presented a real challenge for the prestigious jury, who worked with commitment and excellence to select this year’s Fellowship winners. It is the aim of the Universidad Nacional de San Martín and The New School to honor the memory of Néstor Kirchner through developing the future potential of Latin America’s next generation of leaders.

Fellow 1

Cecilia María Minaverry
ARGENTINA
Cecilia María Minaverry is a lawyer specializing in tax law from the Universidad de Buenos Aires. She holds a Masters in International Studies from the University of the Basque Country and is a Doctoral Candidate of Law and Social Sciences in the School of Law and Social Sciences at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Currently, she is a lawyer in the permanent staff at the Federal Public Revenue Administration, Córdoba Regional Office.
Essay: “The failure of the formula “ICSID + TIBs” during the 2001 crisis in Argentina.”

Fellow 2

Lucas Noura de Moraes Rego Guimaraes
BRAZIL
Lucas Noura de Moraes Rego Guimaraes holds a Masters in Law and Public Policy from the University Center of Brasilia – UniCEUB. He served as a legal advisor to the Federal Attorney in the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) of Brazil.
Essay: “Energy integration based on renewable sources as a means of development.”

Fellow 3

Roland Jeremy Álvarez Chavez
PERU
Roland Jeremy Álvarez Chavez is a sociologist and LGBT activist for the Homosexual Movement of Lima (Mhol). He specializes in social development projects, with emphasis on health issues, citizen participation, human rights, surveillance and advocacy, and social research projects.
Essay: “Structural Violence and its Consequences in the LGBT Community: Reproduction of Poverty, Exclusion and Marginalization Situation.”

Honorable Mention

Ariela Susana Micha
ARGENTINA
BA in Economics, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Currently completing postgraduate studies, MSc. in Development Studies, at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She worked at the NGO “Center for the Attention of the Migrant”, in Rafael Castillo, district of La Matanza, and the Ministry of Economic Development for the City Government of Buenos Aires.
Essay: “Argentina’s programme ‘Universal Child Allowance’: tending towards universalism.”

Honorable Mention

Lola Gutiérrez León
BOLIVIA
Sociologist and specialist in enforcement and justiciability of human rights from the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar. Master candidate on Territorial and Local Development at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO), Ecuador. She worked at the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF) in Bolivia.
Essay: “Jaqichasiña matrimonial. Collective marriages Program: conceptual, discursive and symbolic implications, around the Plurinational State of Bolivia and the “well live” (vivir bien) in La Paz, Bolivia.”

Honorable Mention

Jorge Ignacio Vásquez Rencoret
CHILE
Sociologist from the Universidad de Chile. Master of Science in Social Science Research Methods, University of Bristol, England. He worked as Coordinator of the Development and Studies Department, Social National Direction, at the non-profit foundation “Hogar de Cristo.”
Essay: “Theoretical, methodological and political aspects for critical debate against poverty and social exclusion.”

 Read more about the President Néstor Kirchner Fellowship Program