The returning Admissions interns: Our office experts

The blog is flooded by spam comments every day.  They’re generally caught neatly by the spam filter, but some end up in my inbox.  An amusing one today, from someone named “Rolling Duffle Bags,” read, “I love your writing style.  MARRY ME!!”  Despite Duffle’s enthusiasm, I’m leaving the writing today to our returning Admissions interns.  Remember that these are the people who may be answering your calls or emails, or in the case of Caitlin yesterday, scrambling to keep up with all the questions at our weekly online chat.

Caitlin:

Hello again! I’m happy to be in my second year in the MALD program here at Fletcher, after an exciting summer interning in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  I wrote last year that I was excited to be joining the diverse community at Fletcher, and I’m glad to report that my first year exceeded my expectations in almost every way.  I’ve met incredible people from all over the world and learned much more than I thought was possible from them.  Though it’s exciting to begin looking for jobs and thinking about my next steps, I’m already a bit sad that my time at Fletcher is halfway over!

My Fields of Study here are Human Security and International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, and this year I’m trying to fit in a third — International Public and NGO Management.  I was lucky to be able to combine many of these interests this summer, while working on gender policy implementation and communications for the Millennium Challenge Corporation in Tanzania.  Back at Fletcher this year, I’m looking forward to organizing events as the UN Club co-President, continuing to volunteer with the Tufts University Refugee Assistance Program (TU-RAP), and, of course, working in the Admissions Office!  Best of luck to everyone with the application process!

Lauren:

Hi!  I’m Lauren, a second-year MALD student and intern in the Admissions Office. I’m originally from Colorado and spent a few years at the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany before coming to Fletcher.

After interning in Boston this past summer (which is beautiful that time of year!), with a non-profit focusing on engaging companies and investors on issues of sustainability and corporate citizenship, I’m getting back into the Fletcher routine:  Figuring out how to fit all those great, challenging classes into my schedule, interacting with professors and students who share their amazingly diverse experiences and knowledge, learning new skills and tools for my subsequent career, running to and from dozens of can’t-miss speakers and events on campus, catching up with friends and meeting new ones, writing my thesis on supply chain sustainability reporting and reputation management, and training for a marathon.  Whew!

With everything moving so fast, it won’t be long until I’ll be back out in the “real world.”  With my Fields of Study in International Business Relations and Communications (and maybe a third in Energy and Environmental Policy if I’m feeling ambitious next semester), I aim to work in corporate citizenship for a consumer-facing company.  Continent, country, city:  All TBD.  But no matter where I end up, I know the Fletcher community will continue to support and inspire me.  In the meantime, if you have any questions about my experiences or anything Fletcher-related, please feel free to contact me!

And, Kartik:

Hi, my name is Kartik!  I am a second-year MALD student at Fletcher and an Admissions intern, and my Fields of Study are International Resource Policy and Global Political Economy.  I’m mainly interested in the geopolitical and economic issues related to oil and gas.

I’m a member of the leadership committee of the Fletcher Energy Consortium and was involved in organizing the Tufts Energy Conference last spring, which was attended by more than 200 people and had 30 speakers on issues of interest in the energy sector, including the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.  I have grown up around the world, in India, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and France, and I’ve lived in the U.S. for the last decade.  Before coming to Fletcher I was working as a electricity policy consultant in Boston.  This past summer, I interned at an energy and political risk firm where I learned a lot about global gas production, delivery, and demand.