BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Recent Illinois Wesleyan University graduate Charlie Sell of Wauconda, Ill., has been admitted into the prestigious James H. Dunn Memorial Fellowship Program.
The Fellowship will take Sell to Washington D.C. where he will act as a liaison between the federal government and the governor’s office for the state of Illinois. Several Dunn Fellows are chosen each year to work at offices in Springfield and Chicago, but only one fellow is slated to work in the three-person Washington, D.C. office. This is the second year in a row that an Illinois Wesleyan graduate has secured the Washington, D.C. slot. Illinois Wesleyan 2009 alumna Christine Gibbs was honored with the fellowship last year.
Sell, a 2010 graduate with a degree in political science, will be a full-time employee of the Illinois state government for the next year. “The office serves as a point of contact between state-level government and the federal government,” said Sell. “My job will be to help communicate with the governor’s office and see they get the information they need to help the state.” Sell said the office keeps close track of information on topics such as jobs, health care and the stimulus package.
According to Illinois Wesleyan University Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science James Simeone, the D.C. fellowship is bestowed upon top students from the state. “This is a very competitive and very coveted prize for students of political science,” he said.