David Anderson
What are you doing now?
I am currently serving as a Foreign Service Officer for the State Department in Moldova.
How has the Fellowship impacted your career?
My Fellowship with the Center had a huge impact on my trajectory in university and beyond. I returned to undergraduate studies after a career in the Marine Corps as an infantryman. I had never applied to or participated in a fellowship program before working with CSPC. The writing, networking, and just the experience of applying for fellowships served me very well. Following my undergraduate program, I was accepted into Georgetown University's Master’s program in Foreign Service. While there, I worked with Veterans in Global Leadership to support other veterans interested in high competitive fellowships, academic programs, and scholarships. After graduate school, I served in the State Department both as a Veterans Innovation Partnership Fellow and as a Presidential Management Fellow before converting to the Foreign Service.
One last important impact has been to cement the importance of mentorship in my thinking. The experience with CSPC and my academic mentor made me much more willing to serve as a mentor to other students and applicants, veterans and non-veterans.
What is your favorite memory of the Fellowship?
The Fellows symposiums were both fantastic, and as much fun as the awards ceremony was... that first gathering when all the Fellows met to exchange ideas and describe what they were interested in and how they wanted to tackle the writing project was fantastic. It was also a great visit to Washington, the city that would become my sort of second home.
If you could have any job in the world, what would you do?
Well, I've only been a Foreign Service Officer for a short time, so the shine has not dulled and I would say I am right where I most want to be. I would love to serve, in the future, as a political advisor to a regional military commander or as a senior political officer in Eastern Europe or Central Asia.
Originally published January 27, 2021.