Ketura Brown , 2011, United States

U.S. Department of State, Desk Officer: Iraq - Washington, DC 

On collaboration and teamwork: Collaboration and teamwork at Fletcher are not only encouraged, but also integral to the Fletcher experience. Healthy challenges may exist, but competition is non-existent. This wonderful atmosphere ensures that everyone is learning and maturing together. Moreover, your colleagues are often the best teachers, and collaboration most often results in an outcome that far exceeds an individual effort.

On the diversity of the school: Diversity at Fletcher is manifested in the truest sense of the word and not restricted to that of race or socio-economic status. Diversity is that of ideas, perspectives, background, languages, religion, culture, political positions, and so on. The richness of the school's diversity is incomparable. The respect that colleagues have for one another ensures that this diversity is an asset that informs everything from social discussions and heated debates among peers, to complex policy questions with real-world implications that are explored in class. 

The Kenyan Constitution: Successes and Challenges Ahead

Favorite book:

The Farming of Bones

Favorite author:

Edwidge Danticat

Experience when you felt the farthest from home:

Travel/research through Rwanda visiting the major sites of Genocide, speaking to victims

Most pressing world issue:

Competition for scarce resources as source of so many conflicts

Issue you know nothing about but you find fascinating:

Caste system in India and impact on social mobility, marriage, etc.

Thesis Topic:

The Kenyan Constitution: Successes and Challenges Ahead

Fields of Study

  • International Security Studies
  • Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization

Activities involved in at Fletcher

  • Ralph Bunche Society
  • Women in Security
  • Global Women
  • Africana Club
  • Latin America Club

Education before Fletcher

  • BA, Government, Hamilton College

Experience before Fletcher

  • U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on African & Global Health, Fellow - Washington, DC
  • The Carter Center, Assistant Project Coordinator Democracy Program - Atlanta, GA

Languages

  • Spanish
  • English

Summer Internship

  • U.S. Department of State, American Embassy Political and Economic Affairs Section -  Muscat, Oman