Aliya Iftikhar
Aliya Iftikhar is a candidate in MSc. Foreign Service with a concentration in Science and Technology in International Affairs along with a certificate in Diplomacy. Aliya has a focus in building digital resilience and strengthening the information environment.
Aliya is a Weintal Scholar. While at MSFS, Aliya has served as a DEIA student representative. She has interned at the White House in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and at the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of South and Central Asia. Aliya is a native English and Urdu speaker, and is studying Arabic and Farsi.
Prior to graduate school, Aliya was a senior researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) where she researched and reported on press freedom violations across South Asia, advocated for journalist safety, and provided direct assistance to journalists facing threats. Aliya reported from the field in India, Kashmir, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. She also had stints at the Middle East Institute, Vice News, and Amnesty International.
Aliya holds a Bachelor’s in International Studies and certificates in Middle Eastern Studies and Global Health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was the editor of the independently run student newspaper, The Badger Herald.
"I chose MSFS because of its commitment to public service and to learn how to develop more equitable policy."
Publications can be found here.