Romanians of Washington, DC was thrilled to support, once again, the latest edition of the Romanian American National Heritage Award. This year’s award ceremony took place on Saturday, September 14 and was hosted for the first time at the residence of the Romanian Ambassador to the U.S. This eighth edition of the Award honored the outstanding accomplishments of 52 Romanian American youth from all over America, including our very own Alexandru Drăgoi who won the National Platinum Award and Leadership in Volunteering Award. These remarkable young individuals have shown passion and commitment in their contributions to both the Romanian and American communities.
Felicia Ionescu, Vice President of Romanians of DC, spoke at the Award Ceremony alongside leaders from other partner Romanian-American organizations from across the U.S. as well as H.E. Romanian Ambassador to the U.S. Andrei Muraru. Addressing the talented young audience, Felicia extend a heartfelt congratulations to all the awardees attending in person or virtually, on behalf of Romanians of DC. She also used this unique opportunity to announce an exciting new scholarship opportunity that Romanians of DC will launch at the end of September 2024.
In her remarks Felicia noted the following: ”One of our key goals is to identify and support the aspirations of the Romanian-American community, especially those of our younger members. This year, we’re expanding our mission beyond the DC area to reach Romanian-American talent across the U.S., like those we’re celebrating tonight. As such, we are excited to announce that in just two weeks we will launch a new scholarship aimed at raising awareness about careers in public policy.
This initiative was born from the realization that Romanians are underrepresented in public policy and decision-making spaces. With this scholarship, we hope to help Romanian-Americans to network with established professionals in the field while also recognizing their academic and leadership achievements.
What sets this scholarship apart is its focus on young Romanian-Americans who have secured internships with reputable think-tanks or within the U.S. Administration. These internships offer invaluable professional experience, but many are unpaid, making them financially inaccessible—especially for those outside the DC area. Our scholarship aims to help bridge this gap.”
The scholarship, named in honor of George Pomuț—a Union Army General, diplomat, lawyer, businessman, and proud Romanian-American—aims to raise awareness about careers in public policy and celebrates Pomuț’s remarkable legacy. The inaugural Romanians of DC George Pomuț Scholarship will launch at the end of September 2024 to support unpaid internships for Spring 2025. Details will be available on our website and social media platforms, with announcements shared through our extensive network of Romanian-American communities across the U.S.
The Romanian American National Heritage award is an annual competition aimed at high school students with Romanian heritage or connections, working to contribute to strengthening the Romanian spirit and community cohesion in the United States. The award distinguishes exceptional contributions of youth to increasing the community cohesion, the preservation and dissemination of the Romanian culture and traditions in the United States. To learn more about the Award and Romanians of DC role please click here.
The Award is presented by the Federation of Romanian American Organization (FORA), the Romanian United Foundation, and Alianța with the endorsement of the Embassy of Romania to the United States. In addition to Romanian of DC, other local community partners include: the Heritage Organization of Romanian Americans in Minnesota, Românul Corp in Connecticut, American Romanian Cultural Society, Casa Română in Northern California, the Romanian-American Professional Network in New York and New Jersey, the Romanian Community Center – ROCO Chicago, Immigration Research Forum, and the Honorary Consulate of Romania to Connecticut.
