Master of Public Diplomacy Students
Class of 2011
Martha Adams, Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Psychology from the University of Virginia, May 2005. She studied abroad at the University of Valencia (Spain) in Summer 2003, completing courses in Spanish culture and architecture. As an undergraduate student, Martha worked in the Language Mentor Program for International Teaching Assistants. Her particular areas of interest are international organization and the U.S. State Department. As an officer in the U.S. Navy since 2005, Martha has coordinated bi-lateral mine warfare exercises in Japan, Singapore, Australia and Thailand, and managed divisions of sailors through three deployments in the Persian Gulf and West Africa. She has traveled to 21 countries and speaks Spanish.
Taleen Ananian, Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from USC, May 2006. She studied abroad at the Center for International Studies in Madrid (Spain) in 2004. As an undergraduate student, Taleen contributed to USC Annenberg TV News and KSCR 1560 AM. Her particular interests are politics, international affairs and media. Taleen speaks Spanish and Armenian. Since 2007, Taleen has worked for the Southern California Leadership Network, a partnership with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce (focusing on public policy issues), and as editor for the Armenian Bar Association newsletter. She has professional experience as an entertainment reporter for A Socialite’s Life, and as a production assistant for KNX 1070 AM newsradio. Taleen is proficient in the Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, blogging, Internet research, Microsoft /Mac operating systems, Macromedia Dreamweaver and AP style for television/radio. In her spare time, she is a volunteer member of the Museum Service Council at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and serves as a member of the Young Professionals Advisory Board to Inner-City Arts, a non-profit organization located in downtown's Skid Row that provides arts education for L.A.'s most disadvantaged youth.
Jacqueline Barkett, Bachelor of Arts in Communication from USC, May 2009. Before transferring to USC, Jacqueline attended Southern Methodist University (Dallas) from 2005-2007. Jacqueline studied abroad in London, Paris, Prague and Geneva with the USC Annenberg International Communications Program in Summer 2008. At USC, Jacqueline has been involved in the Joint Education Project and Greek life. She has interned in Washington, DC, for U.S. Senator Harry Reid and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and in New York for Carolina Herrera Corporate Offices (public relations). Her particular areas of interest are politics and foreign affairs. Jacqueline speaks Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. She has traveled to 26 countries.
Candace Ren Burnham is a citizen diplomat-at-large based in Los Angeles. She received a Masters in Education in 2006 and a Bachelors in Music Business & Management in 2004. Candace has since turned her focus to Public Diplomacy, which builds on her passion for global engagement and strategic communication. Currently, she is the J-1 Program Fellow at USC and a research associate at the Center for Public Diplomacy. In March 2010, Candace participated in an exchange with the American University of Dubai, and in the summer of 2010, she will intern with the Department of State in the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Learn More: http://www.linkedin.com/in/diplomacy
Candace’s blog: http://rensmicrodiplomacy.wordpress.com
Follow: http://twitter.com/RensMicroDiplo
Chen Chen, Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Tongji University, July 2006, and Master of Science in Public Communication and Technology from Colorado State University, expected June 2010. As a graduate student, his primary research interests are public communication and the relationship between media and government. As an undergraduate student, Chen was leader of the Tongji University Broadcast Station and a member of the chorus. His undergraduate thesis was titled “The Study of the Revolution of Chinese Media System from SARS to HPAI.” His particular areas of interest are international politics and global communication. Chen was born in Dalian, China, and speaks Chinese, his native language. Chen currently works as a report for “Light of Science”, a science program on CCTV-10, which is the only national television station in China. He previously interned for “Zhu Fu Jing”, an agricultural program on CCTV-7, for “The New Way for Education” on Dalian Television, and for the Peninsula Morning Edition Department of Social News. He attended the Broadcasting and TV Program of Science International Conference in Beijing, and received awards at the Shanghai Undergraduate Students Film Knowledge Competition.
Melanie Ciolek received her Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service in International Politics from Georgetown University in 2005. Prior to arriving at USC, Melanie worked for four years at the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) in Washington D.C., a global public opinion research think tank which manages the WorldPublicOpinion.org project. She most recently held the positions of communications coordinator and survey manager for the WorldPublicOpinion.org network surveys, which cover more than 25 countries. She currently works on the Public Diplomacy Evaluation Project at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy and hopes to pursue a career in the U.S. Foreign Service. As an undergraduate, Melanie studied abroad at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales/Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina and she speaks Spanish. Her previous experience also includes internships with the U.S. Department of State, the American Political Science Association, Help Argentina, and the Center for International Policy.
Ricardo “Cesar” Corona Corral, Licenciatura in International Relations from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma (Mexico City), October 2008. He studied at McGill University in Montreal, Canada (Fall 2005). His undergraduate thesis was titled “Public Diplomacy in International Exhibitions: Mexico and Canada in Expo 2005 Aichi.” His particular areas of interest are communication and international relations. Cesar was born in Mexico City, and speaks Spanish, his native language, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Swedish and Japanese. Cesar has worked most recently in General Direction of Protocol for the Mexico Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has also worked for Specialized Language Services for Celorio Morayta in Mexico, the Expo 2000 Hannover in Germany, and the Expo ’98 Lisboa in Portugal. In addition to the Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite, Cesar is proficient in Thomson EndNote and Steinberg Nuendo.
Molly Cozzens holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Wyoming, December 2009. She studied abroad at Saratov State University in Russia and the University of Stirling in Scotland. During her six years as a competitive debater, she specialized in parliamentary debate and extemporaneous speaking. She was awarded a gold medal at Nationals for Impromptu Speaking. Her career experience includes coaching a State-winning high school speech and debate squad, work as a political opinion columnist, and mentoring ESL students in the American Conversation Club. An active conservative, Cozzens was a page at the 2004 Republican National Convention. Her writings advocating school vouchers and subsequent interview with the Department of Education earned Cozzens a spot as a delegate at the United State Senate Youth Program and time meeting President George W. Bush. Her interests include civil liberties, ethics, etiquette, the relationship between the US and the UK, and the role of persuasion in diplomacy. She studies Russian and German.
Marissa Cruz-Enriquez, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brown University, May 2009. She studied abroad program at the University of Bologna in Italy (Summer 2006). Marissa has served as a Brown University delegate to the Latino Ivy League Summit and the Ivy Leadership Summit focusing on globalization. Her particular areas of interest are politics and entertainment. She speaks Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, and is an Italian language tutor and ESOL instructor. She has worked as a research assistant for the Brown University Watson Institute for International Studies. She also has experience as an officer for the CIA DNI Open Source Center, focusing on Spain and Portugal.
Babeeta Dhillon, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a Broadcast focus from California State University Fullerton, August 2008. She also completed courses at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, California (2001-2002) and Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California (2007). Her particular areas of interest are entertainment and politics. She was born in Harrow, United Kingdom, and speaks Punjabi and Hindi. Since 2007, she has worked at the KTLA Assignment Desk in Los Angeles; she also works as a media coordinator and liaison for the Spinning Wheel Film Festival in Hollywood, as a reporter for the India Post in Norwalk, and as a creative trainer for Apple in Brea. She has previously worked as a weekend anchor for the Orange County News, as an editor at Pearl Entertainment in Pasadena, and as an intern at KTLA/CW Channel 5 in Los Angeles. In addition to the Microsoft Office Suite, she is proficient in Final Cut Pro, Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Macromedia Flash.
Helen Dosta, Bachelor of Science in Business from California State University Long Beach, December 2005. Before graduating from CSU Long Beach, she completed courses at Indiana University-Purdue University (1998-2002) and at Long Beach City College (2003-2005). As an undergraduate student, Helen was a marketing intern at Rhino Records and a dean’s assistant at CSU Long Beach. Her particular area of interest is business. She was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and speaks Cambodian, her native language. Since 2007, Helen has worked at USC as an administrative events coordinator for two research centers and as office manager for the Division of Environmental Health. She has previously worked as a sales and marketing coordinator for KB Home, as a marketing coordinator for StarLite Cuisine. In addition to the Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite, she is proficient in SPSS, FileMaker Pro and Goldmine.
Mariana Gonzalez Insua graduated from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations. After living in Germany for a year and working as a research assistant in Argentina, she relocated to California to attend Stanford University. After earning a Masters in Latin American Studies, she began the Masters in Public Diplomacy program at USC. Since then, Mariana has focused on public diplomacy in Latin America and has been involved in a variety of extra-curricular activities. She is currently a senior editor of Public Diplomacy Magazine and she holds the position of APDS Formal Events Chair for the 2010-2011 academic year. She also works as a research assistant for Dr. Carol Wise at USC, has worked at the Center on Public Diplomacy, and has interned with the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles. Mariana is a native Spanish speaker, and is proficient in Portuguese, French and German. See Mariana’s resume.
Regina Guzmán, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Art History from the University of San Diego, May 2005. She was born in Mexico and speaks Spanish, her native language. Before coming to USC, she worked at The New Children’s Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego as curatorial project manager. She recently interned at Participant Media as a marketing intern and has prior work experience as a public relations intern, Asian film festival marketing coordinator and student television producer. Regina has collaborated with various community development organizations throughout Mexico and has contributed to the following museum exhibition catalogues and lectures: Strange New World: Art and Design from Tijuana ; TRANSactions: Contemporary Latin American and Latino Art; and Latin American History 101: Shifts in Latin-American Politics and Art. Her areas of interest are international development, NGOs and non-state actor diplomacy, and branding.
Daniel “Danny” Hall, Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of California Irvine, December 1999. His particular areas of interest are religious NGOs, UN, Culture of Peace and new media. He is the National Youth Coordinator for Victory Over Violence and the West Territory Director for the Peace and Community Relations Department of the Soka Gakkai International-USA Buddhist Association, where he focuses on community projects promoting values, attitudes and behaviors contained in the 1999 U.N. Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace. He has previously worked as an executive assistant to Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, a public speaker, a political campaign consultant, a public policy consortium participant and a voter registration coordinator.
Katherina “Kat” Jawaharlal is in her second year at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism as a Master’s of Public Diplomacy student. Prior to USC, her alma mater is UCLA, where she graduated with a Major in Global Studies and Minor in Geography. Kat’s undergraduate dissertation was “Microfinance and HIV/AIDs in Chennai, India;” her research experience has been in international development, public health (particularly the HIV/AIDS epidemic and FGM), celebrity diplomacy and nation-branding. Her regional focus has been in Africa, South Asia, and the former Soviet Union states. Kat works as the Opinion Editor at Neon Tommy, the online news media at Annenberg. In addition, she has extensive experience in crisis management, emergency response, counseling mental, emotional and psychological situations, and program planning and implementation through her time as a Residence Director at USC and UCLA. Kat is currently interning at the US Mission to the UN in the Press and Public Diplomacy section in New York City. Kat is an avid world traveler; she is an advanced open water scuba diver and underwater photographer.
Ian Keil, Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Bowling Green University (OH) in 1999. As an undergraduate, he studied in Austria. His work experience includes assistant director of study abroad office at University of Illinois and undergraduate academic advisor at USC Annenberg. He is interested in international relations and international education and he speaks Spanish.
Sona Krikorian, Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with a concentration in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and a regional emphasis in Islamic Studies from American University (Washington, DC), May 2005. As an undergraduate student, she was a Congressional liaison intern for the National Peace Foundation in Washington, DC, and a producer for ArmeniaFund, Inc., a globally broadcast humanitarian telethon. In 2003, she completed the Summer Institute of Peacebuilding at American University. Since 2005, she has administered a publicly traded fund for Flahert & Crumrine Inc. in Pasadena. She expects to launch a non-profit art clinic in Armenia for the benefit of marginalized women. Her particular interests are in international relations and public diplomacy. She speaks Armenian, her first language, Spanish, Arabic and Turkish.
Elizabeth Lauzon, Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and International Studies with a concentration in Modern Europe from the University of Richmond, May 2009. She studied abroad at the Universidad de Pablo Olavide in Seville, Spain in Spring 2007. As an undergraduate, she worked for the university debate team and policy debate team. She has taught debate at the University of Vermont World Debate Institute, the University of Richmond National Debate Institute, and the Arizona Debate Institute. She has been a research fellow for the Center for Civic Engagement Grant, the Weinstein Fellowship Grant and the Arizona Debate Institute. Her particular areas of interest are international relations and politics, with regional emphasis in Europe and Latin America. She speaks Spanish.
Renee Lee is a communications professional and current student at USC’s Master of Public Diplomacy program in Los Angeles. After graduating cum laude from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Renee went on a six-year whirlwind adventure in the U.S. Air Force as a public affairs officer. She spent her entire U.S. military career in the Asia-Pacific region, where she helped share the Air Force story in various countries including South Korea, Thailand, Japan, and Australia. Renee currently works at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy as the Managing Editor of the Newsroom. She has a regional interest in the Asia-Pacific region, including Korea and Thailand, and she speaks fluent Korean and basic French.
Shanel Melamed, Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from USC, expected May 2010, and concurrently completing the Master of Public Diplomacy as a progressive degree candidate. In spring 2009, she studied abroad at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Rothberg International School. She has been an active member of USC Trojans for Israel, SC Students for Israel, Hillel, Chabad, 70 Faces Newsletter, Shalom SoCal, and the Teaching International Relations Programs. Currently, she interns for the Israel Beitenu Party and the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, where she conducts research for the Middle East Strategic Information project. She has worked as an office coordinator for the American Jewish University in Simi Valley, California, and as an event hostess for the USC Office of Protocol and Events. She speaks Farsi, Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish and French.
Seth Mason, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UCLA, June 2002. He studied abroad at the Universidad de Sevilla in Spain (1999-2000). His particular interest is in politics. Beginning in 2007, he worked in marketing for North Fork Vineyards, a start-up winery. Previously, he worked as a local interest and culture writer for the Suffolk Times and Edible East End in New York, as a documentary researcher for Charlotte Koppe Productions, as an assistant producer for Anomaly Productions, and as an English tutor in Guatemala. In 2005, he created a student television travel show series for Uppsala Universitet in Sweden, filming in Oslo, Berlin and Stockholm. He has also lived in Italy and France to study their respective native languages. He speaks Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Hebrew, Danish and Polish.
Mark Preston, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Wittenberg University (Springfield, Ohio), May 2008. As an undergraduate, Mark was class president for four consecutive years and president of the College Democrats. In Summer 2006, he traveled to Russia for political field study, returned to the Center for Citizen Initiatives in San Francisco to gain political support for expansion of free enterprise in Russia, and presented his research paper “The End of Domino: How Capitalism Changed Russian Society” at the Association of American Geographers Conference. His primary area of interest is public service. He worked as a strategic communications advisor for the Ohio Justice and Policy Center and he recruited voters for local and national political campaigns.
Justin Rashid, Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Exeter (United Kingdom), July 2001; Master of Arts in Human Development and Developmental Psychology from Cornell University (Ithaca, New York), January 2005; and Master of Arts in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster (London, United Kingdom), November 2006. His particular area of interest is the use of entertainment transmedia -- such as comics, gaming, and online universes -- for public diplomacy and communications. Justin has knowledge of Arabic and French. He worked as an analyst for frontline military operations at the Defense Science Technology Laboratory in Farnborough, UK. He has also worked as a scientific officer for the UK Civil Service in London, managing relations between central and local governments. Also, he is a reservist for the UK Intelligence Corps and Psychological Operations Group. In addition to the Microsoft Office Suite, he has knowledge of Minitab and SPSS. See Justin's Resume.
Silva Sevlian, Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism from USC, December 2009. As an undergraduate student, she reported for the Glendale News-Press/Burbank Leader, the Pasadena Star-News, the Armenian Reporter and the Daily Trojan. She has also worked as a transcriber for Brian Biery Bookes, and a phone banker and volunteer recruiter for the Paul Krekorian State Assembly Campaign in Glendale, California. Silva was a student journalism instructor at Crenshaw High School as part of the South Los Angeles Reporting Project. In 2007, she founded Students Against Global Poverty at Pasadena City College where she completed her AA degree. Her particular area of interest is human rights violations. She speaks Armenian, Italian, Arabic, French and Amharic. In addition to Microsoft Excel, she is proficient in Adobe Audition, Adobe Photoshop and AVID Newscutter.
Diana Simonyan, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UCLA, June 2008. She attended Yerevan State Linguistic University in Armenia (1998-2000). Her particular areas of interest are politics, languages and culture. She was born in Armenia, and speaks Armenian, her native language, Russian and Spanish. Most recently, she worked as an intern in the Law Offices of Linton & Bogorad. Also, she worked as a caregiver and a sales assistant manager. She has volunteered for UNICEF, Meals on Wheels, and as a Russian tutor at Santa Monica City College.
Daniel Smith, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology from the University of New Hampshire, May 2008. He studied abroad through the Justice Studies program at Corvinus University in Budapest, Hungary (2006). As an undergraduate student, he was a research assistant for the New Hampshire International Trade Resource Center and the Political Science Department, focusing on climate change and environmental policy in the Middle East. His particular areas of interests are international relations and politics. He interned in San Francisco at the Jenkins Johnson Art Gallery and at the HomeBase/The Center for Common Concerns, a nonprofit organization researching homelessness. He has also worked as an ESOL tutor, an elementary school camp counselor, a substitute teacher and an assistant basketball coach. He speaks Spanish and Tagalog. In addition to the Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suites, he is proficient in STATA, Visual Basic, C++, HTML, XHTML and CSS.
Becky Snodgrass-Lambert, born and raised in Los Angeles, received a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from U.C. Santa Cruz in 2001, with a concentration in the semiotics of visual culture and 20th-century art. Since then, she has been served in a number of capacities that advance the support of contemporary artists and artwork production, primarily as an Arts Manager for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, acting as a liaison between artists, communities and government. Becky has also worked with the Sacatar Foundation, Itaparica, Brasil, has served on the Board of Directors and as President of the Foundation for Art Resources, Los Angeles, and continues her position as Associate Director of the William H. Johnson Foundation, Los Angeles. Of particular interest are initiatives that actively negotiate between public and private space, between communities and artistic specificity. Becky's concentration within the Public Diplomacy Program is contemporary arts diplomacy.
Pavol Valovic, Bachelor of Arts in May 2008 in Global Business and International Relations from USC. He is a Slovakian citizen and speaks Czech and Polish. His work experience includes financial analysts for AECOM Technology, head coach for Trojan Water Polo Club, college pool manager and assistant travel agency manager. His interests are in politics and international relations and his ultimate goal is to return to Slovia.