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Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Robert Pastor and his wife, Margy, a fellowship is now available to support the work and study of a summer fellow in the Carter Center’s Americas Program. The founder and former director of the Americas Program, Dr. Pastor was advisor for Latin American affairs on the National Security Council in the Carter White House administration.

As the first Robert and Margy Pastor graduate fellow working for the Carter Center Americas Program, Ana Caridad Sanchez has had opportunity to apply to current affairs a passion for human rights ignited by her academic career.

While on a school trip in Argentina in high school, Ana worked closely with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an association of Argentine mothers whose children were “disappeared” during the Dirty War of the military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. She came to see the Inter-American human rights system and justice mechanisms as critical to protecting the civil and political rights that Latin Americans struggled for decades to secure. She became interested in human rights issues in Latin America and studied international relations at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and Loyola University in Chicago, and earned a master’s degree in international service and conflict resolution from American University in Washington, D.C. During her fellowship, that interest was furthered by the Americas Program’s work in Venezuela, where the Center has observed numerous elections and political transitions since 1998.  Her fellowship projects included helping to prepare for a high-profile delegation accompanying the Honduras general election set for November 2013. She also will travel with the group to monitor the electoral process on the ground.

“Working at The Carter Center, and particularly on a political-engagement mission to an election, has introduced me into the ‘real’ work of electoral observation missions,” she said. “It’s fascinating to see and participate in all of the work that goes into these engagements.”

Born in Mexico City and of Cuban and Spanish decent, Ana grew up living in several Latin American countries and Miami. She has a love for travel and enjoys performing and visual arts. Ana’s been dancing ballet for 23 years and has had several photographs she’s taken displayed in art galleries.

Now she’s looking forward to perhaps using those photographic skills in her travel to other nations as she embarks on a true career in international relations!

Learn more about the Carter Center's Latin America and Caribbean Focus.