Meet the 2017-2018 Admissions Graduate Assistants

The Admissions Staff is perennially grateful for the help, support, and good humor of our student staff.  These Admissions Graduate Assistants (GAs) both handle many mundane day-to-day tasks and also are available to serve as resources for visiting applicants.  If you call the office or send us an email, there’s a good chance that you’ll be chatting with one of these fine folks.  From the perspective of the staff, it’s just a treat to see them when they arrive in the office, and they help to keep us connected to the student community.  I like to introduce the GAs so you’ll know that the person at the other end of your phone call or email is a real live Fletcher student, working in the Office of Admissions.  Read about them today, and then you’ll know whom your email is from tomorrow.

Brooklyn:
Hi everyone!  I am a second-year MIB student focusing on Strategic Management and International Consultancy, as well as Global Political Economy.  Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, I moved to Washington, DC to attend American University, where I studied international relations, focusing on U.S. foreign policy in Latin America and Spanish language.

After completing my bachelor’s degree in 2012, I started working at Chemonics International as a project management team member.  Six-months into my time there, I moved from the Latin America Regional Business Unit (RBU) to the Asia RBU, where I had the opportunity to learn about the culture and complexities of a region of the world that was new to me.  While working in the Asia region, I was involved in projects spanning from Pakistan to the Pacific Islands that covered topics such as governance, climate change adaptation, combating human-trafficking, and economic growth.  It was my work with the Vietnam Governance for Inclusive Growth project that sparked my interest in the public sector and led me to Fletcher!

During my first year at Fletcher I explored new subjects, from finance to law.  I got involved with many groups on campus including Fletcher Social Investment Group, Fletcher Political Risk group, and Net Impact.  This year, I am co-leader of Fletcher’s Net Impact chapter and a member of the MIINT (MBA Impact Investment & Training) team.  I look forward to hearing from you in the Admissions Office this year!

Cece:
Namaste!  My name is Cecelia Rana, more popularly called Cece by friends, family and colleagues.  I am a first-year international student from Nepal doing the MALD program here at Fletcher.  My undergraduate degree is from Clark University where I majored in international relations with a minor in economics.

Having grown up in a country that suffered through a ten-year long civil war with never-ending political chaos, I am interested in exploring the nature and processes of political conflict, specifically in relation to information and communication channels.  I am a curious, adventure-loving individual with multiple interests that range from world politics, films, music, and nature/culture exploration.  I have a diverse set of professional experiences and have worked for organizations including the United Nations (UNRCPD), AmeriCares, and ChildReach Nepal.  Most recently, I coordinated a collaborative art project called the “True Stories Project,” a partnership between U.S. and Nepali art institutions aimed at bringing out stories of abuse, exploitation, and trafficking through the medium of art.  I am interested in continuing to use the visual medium to tell powerful stories pertinent to international affairs while at Fletcher as well.  My current activities besides my classes allow me to hone my media/filmmaking interests.  I am a part of an upcoming John Oliver-inspired Fletcher TV show and the Fletcher AV, two very exciting student-run project/clubs that have started this year.

I look forward to sharing my Fletcher experience!

Cindy:
Hello everyone!  I am a second-year MALD student, concentrating my studies in International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and International Organizations.  I grew up in Spring Hill, Florida and later received my BA in political science, anthropology and a minor in Russian at the University of Florida (go Gators!).  I was very fortunate to work with a professor in the political science department on a thesis related to ethnic violence against minorities in Russia.  This experience sparked my interest in pursuing a degree related to international affairs.

When I graduated, I was accepted into Teach For America as a fifth-grade language arts and social studies teacher in Halifax, North Carolina.  As a teacher I honed my leadership skills, shared my passion for reading, writing, and history with my students, and fostered lifelong relationships with my colleagues.  Through learning about Teach For America’s mission, I became devoted to issues of minority rights and inequality, bridging differences between diverse communities, and pursuing a career of public service.

At Fletcher, I am focusing my research on improving diplomatic relations between the United States and Russia through good policy, the causes and consequences of polarization between diverse societies, and the role that education plays in shaping the beliefs and perceptions of conflicting societies.  This past summer I completed an internship through the Tufts Tisch Summer Fellows program at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., where I conducted research on U.S./Russia/NATO relations and the Baltic states.

This year I have the pleasure of co-leading two clubs: the Ambassachords a capella group and the Eurasia Club.  I also engage with the wider community by teaching an adult learning class with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, helping to organize Fletcher’s annual Building Bridges Conference and Fletcher recitals, and volunteering for FletcherCares.  In my spare time I love to cook, read, go for walks with my dog Obi, and spend time with my wonderful husband Brian.  I am very excited to be working with the Admissions team, and I hope that I can bring the spirit I have for this school to both current and prospective students!

John:
Hello everyone!  I am a first-year MALD student concentrating on International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, as well as Human Security.  Originally from San Antonio, Texas, I moved to Nashville, Tennessee to study at Vanderbilt University where I received a BA in public policy studies and a minor in French.  As a student, I was able to study abroad in southern France for a semester which first piqued my interest in exploring international affairs.  While writing my senior capstone, I had the opportunity to work with local refugee communities in examining how they resolved intra- and inter-community conflict.

After graduating in 2014, I applied to volunteer with the Peace Corps.  For the past two years, I have been serving as an English teacher at a university in southwest China.  I really enjoyed interacting with my students and colleagues, not only in improving their English, but in sharing differing worldviews, trying new foods, and cultivating meaningful relationships.  In addition to teaching spoken English, I helped my department run speech contests, host international studies conferences, and even win a few relay races.  I also worked with my counterparts to introduce a creative writing competition and other cultural events that gave the members in my community the opportunity to engage with each other in an informal learning environment!  It was both my experience in China and my time volunteering with resettled refugee communities that brought me here to Fletcher.  In my free time, I love to travel, practice yoga, and bullet journal.  I look forward to connecting with you and answering any of your questions about the admissions process and life at Fletcher!

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