Clinton School 2 win fellowships

McLarty fellows head to Washington to work at nonprofit

WASHINGTON -- Two University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service students have been selected for fellowships in the nation's capital.

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Yvonne Quek

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Arjola Limani

Yvonne Quek, 27, and Arjola Limani, 27, are working this semester at Vital Voices Global Partnership.

The Washington-based nonprofit group works to "identify and invest in women leaders around the world who are making [an] impact in their communities," said Coby Jones, Vital Voices' digital communications coordinator.

The McLarty Global Fellowship Program provided the funding.

Texarkana native Donna Cochran McLarty, who helped start the fellowship, is Vital Voices' co-founder and vice chairman emeritus.

Skip Rutherford, dean of the Clinton School, said Quek and Limani are outstanding.

"In addition to being wonderful human beings, their resumes and records are extraordinary," he said in an email. "These two women are going to make big differences in the world."

Quek, a native of Singapore, is working with the group's economic empowerment and entrepreneurship program.

Limani, originally from Albania, is working for its human-rights program.

The partnership between the McLarty program and Vital Voices began in 2014.

A 2015-2016 McLarty fellow, Jennifer Guzman, is now Vital Voices' human rights program coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The McLarty fellowships were created in 2002 by McLarty and her husband, former White House Chief of Staff Mack McLarty; their sons, Franklin and Mark; their daughter-in-law Gabriela; and their granddaughter Brianna.

Franklin McLarty, who represented the fellowship program at the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting last month, said Vital Voices "does really amazingly important and redeeming work on women's rights throughout the world."

Limani had never been to Washington until she received the fellowship.

Without the financial assistance, it would've been impossible to live in the capital, she said.

"It's been a great, a wonderful opportunity for me. I am doing what I've always wanted to do," she said.

Quek said she's happy to be in the District of Columbia.

"I really enjoy it. It's a wonderful city," she said. "I love that you can walk everywhere."

Working at Vital Voices "is a really enriching experience," she added.

Metro on 10/22/2016

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