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Kristina Filipovich '97 Wins Soros Fellowship
Kristina Filipovich, a 1997 graduate of Occidental College, has been named one of 30 recipients of the 2005 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.
Fellows receive half-tuition for two years of graduate study at any institution of higher learning in the United States and a $20,000 annual stipend. Filipovich, who is attending Stanford Law School, was chosen from among nearly 1,100 applicants, who must be naturalized citizens, resident aliens, or the children of naturalized citizens.
“This is a great honor and a recognition of the struggles my family went through as immigrants to create a life for me that would allow me to thrive and meet my goals,” said Filipovich, born in the United States to parents of Bosnian and Ukrainian descent.
Filipovich, who graduated cum laude from Occidental with a bachelor’s degree in politics, says her professional interests are in gender equality, human rights and animal rights. Prior to starting law school, Filipovich, originally from Lake Oswego, Ore., worked for seven years on gender issues both in the United States and overseas.
“Through this work, I saw the power of legal systems to advance, hold static or repress women’s rights,” she said. “I also worked in countless situations where good laws existed on the books but were not being enforced to protect people’s lives and rights.”
“The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships recognize the valuable contributions that immigrants make to America,” Filipovich added. “The fellowships also help ensure that people with diverse perspectives and life experiences make it to the highest levels of influence and power in American society.”
The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans was established in 1997 from a charitable trust of $50 million created by the New York philanthropists. Since the program’s inception, more than $16 million have been spent in support of the program.