Program Assistant Introduction Kier Joy COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Program Assistant Introduction Kier Joy COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Our next program assistant introduction highlights one who has previously been featured before on the blog Kier Joy! Kier Joy is a second-year student at SIPA studying Urban Social Policy and International Conflict Resolution. He was raised a military brat, having lived all over the U.S. and in the UK. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2017 with a dual degree in International Affairs and Political Science. During undergrad, Kier worked as the director of a state-level legislative research fellowship, applying his passion for policy and progressiveness to legislative issues. Also in undergrad, he studied abroad at the University College London and spent a summer in Washington D.C. as a Rangel Scholar. Kier is also a 2017 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship recipient under the United States Department of State. Through this position, he has spent a summer working as a foreign policy fellow on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee and spent a summer interning in the political section at the US Embassy in Mexico City. Upon graduating from SIPA, Kier will join the Foreign Service as a Political Foreign Service Officer. He hopes to have a life-long career in the Foreign Service and become a U.S. ambassador to a post-conflict country. In his free time, Kier likes to listen to music, attend concerts and music festivals, and explore new restaurants in the city. Favorite City:  London, England A Tip for Prospective Students:  Manage your time well before you fall behind in your studies. Five-Year Goals After Graduating SIPA:  Visit 30 countries by 30. Fun Fact:  Beyoncé once kicked water in my face at her concert. [Photo courtesy of Kier Joy]