Tara D.

Currently, my job is to analyze financial and operational data on the crude oil business for one of the largest midstream energy companies in North America.
My previous jobs have been pretty different. I’ve worked as a geopolitical analyst focusing on issues like energy security, counterterrorism, trade relations, and globalization. I’ve also worked in civil rights; public relations; and in publishing as an editor, writer, ghostwriter, and Russian translator.
In college, I began as a piano performance major, but graduated with a degree in Russian Area Studies. After college, I lived in Moscow, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, Boston, and Connecticut. When it came to graduate degrees, I dropped out of law school before ultimately landing in an amazing international relations program that was a much better fit.
I never took the simplest or most direct path in my studies or career, but I learned a lot about creating my own opportunities and finding my niche. Like students now, I’ve also had to deal the reality of economic recession and decisions about which degree and profession to pursue while also figuring out what will keep me personally challenged and fulfilled. I’m happy to talk about how I’ve navigated some of those things and help if I can.