Congratulations to the Columbia University affiliates awarded a 2026 Hertog Fellowship!
This summer, the Hertog Summer Fellowship awarded 88 scholarships to outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, as well as young professionals, for an intensive summer program of study in politics, history, philosophy, public policy, and related fields. Held in Washington, DC, the fully funded fellowship engages participants in seminars and discussions led by distinguished faculty and community leaders, while fostering a cohort of emerging scholars, leaders, and public servants.
Originally from Washington, DC, Lucas de Gamboa graduated from Columbia College with a degree in Political Science. During his time at Columbia, Lucas supported Columbia Law Professor Matthew Waxman’s research on executive foreign affairs powers, and was also a National Defense Fellow of the Ronald Reagan Institute, where he studied US defense policy, and an American Enterprise Institute Summer Honors Scholar, where he studied the creation and evolution of the US Constitution. He recently completed work at Patomak Global Partners, a financial regulatory consulting firm based in Washington, DC, where he researched US economic security policy for clients and partners. In the summer of 2026, Lucas will join the Security Studies Fellowship Program at the Hertog Foundation, where he will engage in historical research and apply international relations theory to contemporary US foreign policy case studies. Lucas will matriculate as a JD candidate at Georgetown University Law Center in the fall of 2026.
Martine Panner, GS'28
War Studies Program
Martine ‘Nini’ Panner is studying history as a student in the Dual BA Program between Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Columbia University. Growing up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, her curiosity for how institutions work and political decisions are made took her to Tel Aviv, where she served as Vice President of Policy for the TAU Student Council while also completing research internships at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies and the International Institute for Counter Terrorism. This summer, Martine will participate in the Hertog Foundation’s War Studies Program, where she will examine the history and theory of armed conflict alongside the strategic and political questions that shape how wars begin, unfold, and end. She is particularly drawn to the intersection of historical analysis and contemporary security, and hopes to bring that lens to her future work in research, policy, and graduate study.
Christabelle Sutter, CC'27
Political Studies Program
Christabelle Sutter is a rising senior at Columbia College majoring in Classics with a specialization in Ancient Greek. In the spring of 2026, Christabelle furthered her study of the languages, literature, and history of the ancient world via a semester in Rome at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Christabelle has previously participated in philosophy and political theory fellowship programs through the Witherspoon Institute and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and, at Columbia, she has served as a grader for Symbolic Logic and held leadership roles with Columbia Catholic Ministry and Columbia Lions for Life. This summer, she will travel from her hometown of Princeton, New Jersey, to Washington, DC, as a participant in the Hertog Foundation’s Constitutional Studies Fellowship, where she looks forward to exploring American political thought as the nation approaches its semiquincentennial and examining the enduring influence of ancient philosophy on modern political institutions.
Claire Thornhill, CC'27
Constitutional Studies Program
Originally from Hardinsburg, Kentucky, Claire Thornhill is a rising senior at Columbia College majoring in Economics–Political Science. She serves as Managing Editor of the Columbia Political Review and Lead Editor of the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review. A John Jay Scholar in Columbia University’s Undergraduate Scholars Program, Claire has researched regulatory barriers to public infrastructure development under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Ting in the Department of Political Science and she has also served as an Orientation Leader with Columbia’s New Student Orientation Program. In the spring of 2026, Claire studied in Florence, Italy, where she examined European political economy and international energy policy. Through the Hertog Foundation’s Constitutional Studies Summer Fellowship, she hopes to deepen her understanding of American constitutional government, its institutions, and their historical foundations. Following her time at Columbia, Claire plans to attend law school and pursue a career in diplomacy.
Columbia students and alums interested in learning more about and applying for the Hertog Foundation’s Summer Programs are encouraged to connect with advisors at Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.