Originally from Buffalo, New York, Kaitlyn is a candidate in the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) program at Georgetown University. She is pursing a concentration in Global Politics and Security, as well as a Certificate in Asian Studies. Kaitlyn’s interests center around Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, with a focus on information operations, gender issues, and subnational conflict.

Kaitlyn currently works as a research intern for the Australia Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), which is a defense and strategic policy institute based in Canberra, Australia, and funded by the Australian Department of Defense. Prior to joining ASPI, she worked at the U.S. Department of State as an intern for the Office of Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Additionally, Kaitlyn has interned with the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) and the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. She also has over seven years of retail experience, which generated her passion for person-to-person diplomacy and ambition to have a career where she can make a difference in people’s lives.

Before moving to Washington D.C., she graduated with a bachelor’s from the University at Buffalo (SUNY), where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a major in Global Affairs and Korean Language. Her undergraduate studies focused on Russian foreign policy, the European Union, and disinformation. Kaitlyn was also the president of the Model European Union Club and the Political Science Undergraduate Student Association.