“Growing up in rural Montana taught me that communities often depend on people being willing to look out for one another, especially when resources are limited. I was fortunate to have two parents who modeled that kind of service. Through my mom’s work at a community action nonprofit, I saw what public service could mean at the local level. My Australian stepdad, meanwhile, gave me a window into the wider world and sparked my interest in international affairs. Over the years, I’ve met people who are surprised to learn that some Americans grow up facing many of the same challenges as their own communities. Those conversations have stayed with me and shaped how I think about diplomacy: as a way of bringing a broader range of American experiences into how we understand and engage with the world. While working in D.C., I was selected for the Pickering Fellowship, which brought me to Princeton SPIA for graduate school. Applying felt like a long shot, but I’m deeply grateful to have found a home in such a remarkable community. I’m one of three diplomatic fellows at SPIA, and we will all enter the Foreign Service after graduation. SPIA has given me the opportunity to learn from current Foreign Service officers, former ambassadors, and professors who have helped me sharpen my interests in national security, humanitarian affairs, and economic statecraft. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to follow a path shaped by people and opportunities I could not have anticipated. I’m looking forward to a career that will take me across borders and cultures, while keeping with me the perspective of the rural community that first shaped my understanding of service.”
Top photo: Courtesy of Augusta Reinhart MPA ’27