Global Ties KC is excited to announce this year’s 2026 Barbara Dolci International Studies Scholarship recipient, Andrew Shelton. Andrew received the scholarship at the 2026 Heartland Pop-Up and spoke about the impact that Global Ties KC programs have had on his life both personally and professionally. Read more about him below.
About Andrew Shelton:
Originally from Lamar, MO, Andrew is now a rising senior at Pomona College in Claremont, CA. Inspired by his work with Global Ties KC, he is majoring in international relations and intends to pursue post-graduate opportunities at the intersection of global storytelling, policy, and advocacy. He is particularly exploring how to merge these interests with his passions for acting and filmmaking, and he is identifying multidisciplinary graduate programs around the world to support this dream. Andrew graduated from the Youth Diplomats Institute (YDI) in 2022 before becoming the president of the inaugural YDI Youth Advisory Board. After several years on the board, Andrew joined GTKC as a strategy intern, having won funding from Pomona to support his work.
When asked to reflect on his time with Global Ties and its effect on his life, Andrew said that, “Global Ties gave me an outlet to explore the world in ways unavailable to me as a rural American, and it showed me that I can be a substantive player in diplomacy.”
Andrew’s summer plans include a human rights program with the EU in June before conducting thesis research with the U.S. military in Seoul, South Korea in July.
