Where are you from and what were you doing before enrolling in graduate school?

I’m from Brooklyn, New York, and I’m half-French! Before enrolling in the MPD program, I lived in Brazil for a year completing a Fulbright research grant, and exploring the percussive elements in the Brazilian traditions of Carnaval that are instrumental to the country’s statecraft and national identity.

How did you learn of the degree program and why did you choose USC Annenberg?

I learned of the MPD program via The Center on Public Diplomacy and an undergraduate professor of mine. I used the CPD Soft Power Index for my undergraduate research thesis and was later advised to check out the Public Diplomacy masters program by Professor Jim Ketterer (a former CPD Research Fellow). 

I chose USC Annenberg because of the amazing research opportunities that I learned I’d be able to engage in both through the Masters of Public Diplomacy Program and as a Geoffrey Cowan Scholar at the USC Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. 

What have you enjoyed the most about the degree program? 

I've most enjoyed the mix of the hands-on, pragmatic learning experience with a more theoretical and historical approach that the MPD program employs — that and the incredible faculty in Annenberg who so readily share their invaluable expertise and the fantastic peers I’ve gotten to work alongside. I’ve found sharing a classroom with friends who have such a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to be a huge benefit in the study of public diplomacy and international affairs.