SIA honors fall 2018 graduating class

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State School of International Affairs (SIA) hosted a graduation ceremony and reception on December 6 for its fall 2018 graduates. The event celebrated the students’ achievements and marked their completion of the interdisciplinary Master of International Affairs degree.

Although the majority of SIA students graduate in the spring, six students completed their degree this December:

• Richard Jacob Dickerson-Garcia; Garcia concentrated in development policy and security studies and completed an internship as a summer development consultant with Aajeevika Bureau in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
• Elizabeth Ingle; Ingle concentrated in antiquities trafficking and international security and completed her master’s paper on “A Material Iteration of Cultural Identity: Art in the Context of a Retreating Army.”
• Katarina Jerman; Jerman concentrated in international security studies and geospatial intelligence and completed an internship as an open source geospatial intern with the National Consortium of the Study of Terrorism and Response to Terrorism (START) in College Park, Md.
• Muhammet Furkan Karakaya; Karakaya concentrated in Middle East studies and completed his master’s paper on “U.S. war on terrorism and its policy towards Kurdish groups in Syria.”
• Marta Millar; Millar concentrated in western European business and culture and completed an internship with the University of Freiburg and Eucor North American Liaison Office with the German Consulate General in New York City.
• Lingjia Zeng; Zeng concentrated in global communications and public relations and completed an internship as a public relations coordinator with Ketchum in Shanghai, China.

SIA graduates (L to R) Marta Millar, Richard Garcia, Lingjia Zeng, and Katarina Jerman.

SIA faculty and staff, fellow students, and friends and family of the graduates attended the ceremony and reception in the Lewis Katz Building. Speaking at the ceremony, Hari M. Osofsky, dean of Penn State Law and the School of International Affairs, and Scott Gartner, director of the School of International Affairs, honored the graduates for their impressive accomplishments and provided words of encouragement as they begin the next chapters of their lives.

“As alumni of the School of International Affairs, you will join a distinguished group of civic and business leaders, Foreign Service officers, human rights advocates, national security agents, Peace Corps volunteers, community organizers, academic scholars, among countless other professions,” Gartner told the graduates during the ceremony. “You are ready to take your place in the international affairs community, and to serve with intelligence, integrity, and honor.” He added, “You have graduated, but you will always remain a part of the School of International Affairs family.” Congratulations to our fall graduates!