Luke Maclean is a first-year Masters of International Policy & Practice (MIPP) candidate at the Elliott School. In addition, he holds a Master of Arts in Global Security Studies from Arizona State University, a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies from Eastern Michigan University, and a Certificate in Data Analytics from Duke University. He joins the Elliott School on an America 2050 Fellowship with plans to specialize in Intelligence and Asian Security affairs. Luke is an Army Veteran who separated as a Captain this May and has since joined Deloitte as a Government and Public Services Senior Consultant in Investigations & Intelligence. In his free time, Luke is an avid lifter of weights, walker of dogs, and forever suffering Detroit sports fan.

Is your graduate program related to your undergraduate degree? If so, how?

The MIPP program is related to my undergrad, but more so related to my first graduate degree in Security Studies. I think there is a high degree of crossover and mutual benefit between what I can bring from my first program and the International Policy program. My research focused on China’s overseas development finance and the economic forces influencing China’s concessional versus market-rate lending, so I hope to learn and grow more specifically in some of these areas of interest.

What are you most looking forward to about graduate school? What are you most nervous about?

I’m most looking forward to developing more in the quantitative aspects of international policy development. The Professional Skills Courses offered through the Elliott School, like Intro to R, Data Visualization with Tableau, and GIS I, are an awesome opportunity to get better at some incredibly valuable tools in a formal learning environment.

I’m probably most nervous about what anyone who works full-time and goes to grad school is nervous about, just doing all of it. I think nerves like that are mostly unavoidable, and it’s the same thing I was nervous about when I went to grad school the first time while I was active duty Army, so I just have to remind myself that it all worked out just fine then as well.

What 3 things would you like to be known for after you complete your program?

Probably just as someone who is eager to learn what I don’t know, eager to help and mentor with what I do, and always happy to be in the moment with the awesome folks I get to learn with.

Why did you choose to commit to the Elliott School for your graduate program?

I initially applied to the Elliott School because the MIPP program offered the opportunity to continue my education in areas of interest to me personally and professionally. I chose the Elliott School over the other schools I was considering because, in addition to the previous reason, Elliott extended fellowship funding which will allow me to hold off on using my GI bill for now and potentially use it for future academic pursuits.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Singapore has been at the top of my list for some time now. I really hope to experience the sights, culture, and cuisine there sooner rather than later.

Want to connect with current Elliott School students and alumni? Click here to see how!

Find out more about this program by creating a CustomViewbook!

Join us for an information session, RSVP here!

Click here to apply to the Elliott School!

Twitter · Facebook · Instagram

The #IncomingElliott profile series is managed by the Elliott School Office of Graduate Admissions and highlights newly enrolling students to answer common questions posed by prospective and current students. For more information on this series or to submit questions, e-mail the Office of Graduate Admissions at esiagrad@gwu.edu.

The views expressed by students profiled do not necessarily represent those of organizations they work for, are affiliated with, or the Elliott School of International Affairs.