I care about politics because I care about people. Not all of society’s problems can be solved by having the right leaders in place or by passing the right legislation, but many can. Politics is really personal.

Research can feel unrewarding for it is an incredibly slow and difficult process. Receiving honors like the Astronaut Scholarship provides justification for my research efforts; others see that I am willing to endure the process in order to discover and create. But this feeling of justification soon turns into inspiration. Because others believe in me, I now have a duty to maintain a caliber of research that is worth believing in.

As a fellow I am working on my dissertation research and also using the Senegalese National Archives to help me understand the colonial origins of the present-day bureaucracy. I hope to learn more about the ways in which the bureaucracy can shape public policy, and how the bureaucracy’s interactions with citizens help government stability and development.

While I didn’t receive the Marshall Scholarship, during the application process I passed the exams to enter the U.S. Foreign Service as a diplomat. That was my goal all along, and I think the fellowship preparation I did with UFO provided me with skills that helped me achieve it.

Applying for the Astronaut Scholarship forced me to take new perspectives on my research and where it fits in a national and global context. Besides boosting confidence in my work, the scholarship convinced me to pursue more fellowships and opened my career options.

With the volume of opportunities available at Penn State, I now realize the importance of tailoring my academic career/experiences to accommodate my exact ambitions and career goals. Students have a wide range of freedom to take advantage of those opportunities whether that be through selection of majors, courses, campus involvement, extracurricular activities, professional networking, etc.