Libby Adams ’27 receives Hertog Fellowship

Elizabeth “Libby” Adams ’27 has received a Hertog Fellowship to participate in the War Studies Program in Washington, D.C., this summer. Adams, a politics and international affairs and psychology double major, is one of 88 students selected across the four programs funded by the Hertog Foundation and is one of only 20 chosen for War Studies. Adams represents the third Hertog Fellow from Furman University since the program began in 2010.

Adams will spend two weeks studying the theory, practice, organization and control of war and military forces with national security leaders and senior U.S. military officers.

Adams is fascinated with strategic thinking and how it shapes outcomes in high-stakes environments – a sensibility born of her upbringing in a military family and her brother’s service in the Marines.

“My brother is one of my closest friends,” she said. “Our conversations often revolve around current events, the complexities of strategy and the moral questions surrounding efforts to protect American values and people around the world. Being able to engage those conversations more deeply means so much to me.”

Adams’ foray into war studies began with Politics and International Affairs Professor Michael Bressler and his international relations course. Her interest intensified when she studied Winston Churchill’s “The Gathering Storm” as part of Humanities at Hertog in fall 2025. That seminar, the foundation she acquired through political theory courses, and her time with the American Enterprise Institute’s Summer Honors Program further sparked her curiosity.

“The War Studies Program is exactly the kind of fellowship that will challenge my thinking and give me access to peers across the country,” she said.

With the exposure to all things military, one might expect Adams to have her sights trained on the Pentagon after graduating in 2027. But her heart lies with clinical psychology.

On her way to securing a Ph.D. in the field, Adams is searching for programs that will leverage her internship experiences and integrate her interests in human rights, trauma and resilience research, especially in underserved populations.

In spring 2026, Adams studied in Rome working with one of the largest anti-human trafficking networks in the world, Talitha Kum, where she conducted international research while combining the experience with coursework in contemporary slavery and human rights.

With minors in data analytics, poverty studies and Latin American studies, Adams, the incoming Furman SGA president, is eager to wade into uncharted waters.

“I have always believed in putting myself out there for opportunities even when I am unsure of the outcome because the growth that comes from taking those chances is invaluable,” she said. “If it works out, I gain an experience that shapes me; if it doesn’t, I still learn something meaningful about myself.”