Sherman, Texas -- Austin College is pleased to announce that Emma Niewald ’12 has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to conduct research in Kosovo for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Niewald will be researching political financial frameworks at the Universiteti Publik “Kadri Zeka” in Gjilan, Kosovo, under the guidance of Dr. Gëzim Tosuni. Additionally, she will be volunteering political consulting services to local candidates and researching at the Museum of Ethnography (Muzeu Ethnologjik).
“I’m endlessly grateful for Austin College and for the guidance of Dr. Patrick Duffey,” said Niewald. “It’s wonderful to be part of such a supportive community, who is willing to help their alumni years after graduation. I had the opportunity to learn from incredible professors at AC, including Dr. Phil Barker, Dr. Bernice Melvin, Dr. Frank Rohmer, Dr. Don Rogers, and my mentor Dr. Truett Cates. The education I received at AC was invaluable.”
Niewald will receive a Master’s in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School of Public Affairs in May 2026, where she is focusing on Balkan studies, democracy-building, and rule of law. She graduated with honors from Austin College, double-majoring in International Relations and French. After working in the nonprofit sector in D.C., including internships with the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and the Center for National Policy, Niewald transitioned to electoral politics. She has more than ten years of election experience ranging from school board to president, including Elizabeth Warren for U.S. President, Steve Bullock for U.S. Senate, and Beto O’Rourke for Texas Governor.
Niewald began her own consulting firm, The Campaign Catalyst, in 2019. She was selected for the 2021 cohort at the LBJ Women’s Campaign School, where she won first place in the cohort’s competition to project the number of votes needed to win an election. Last summer, Niewald interned in Skopje, North Macedonia as an Embedded Scholar with the National Democratic Institute (NDI). She wrote a research paper about the anticorruption movements in Serbia & North Macedonia and a master’s thesis on foreign political financial influence in the Western Balkans.
Niewald has lived in France and completed a study abroad program in International Relations, Multilateral Diplomacy, and Social Justice in Geneva, Switzerland and Pula, Croatia. During her undergraduate studies, she won awards for writing and public speaking at National Model United Nations conferences, a Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference simulation, and a simulation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. She wrote her undergraduate thesis on the security implications of fissile material production, storage, and disposal, as well as an advanced directed study research paper on Regime Change During the Arab Spring.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, pre-professional foundations, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 45 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and an expert faculty of more than 100 educators allow an 11:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.
