The Fund, established by the family of Colin McCollester (G’14), who died on December 12, 2019, supports international internships, experiential learning, study abroad and other international learning experiences for McCourt School students.
“Studying in Berlin was actually one of the main reasons I applied to the Master of Public Policy program at McCourt,” said Parker, who has been studying the German election and party systems, as well as taking language courses in preparation for his trip.
As an exchange student, Parker looks forward to the Hertie School’s robust elective offerings on environmental policy and opportunities to take part in local climate activism. He plans to write his master’s thesis on renewable energy policy — the same topic on which Colin McCollester, who also studied at the Hertie School, wrote his thesis.
“The state of climate action is wildly different in Europe compared to the United States,” said Parker. “While American politicians are still debating the merits of climate science or pushing for more oil drilling, those in Europe are working on ways to reduce emissions.”
“I am honored to receive this scholarship and hope that I can further contribute to the work Colin cared most about,” he said.
Learn more about ways to support the Colin McCollester Mission Fund.