Passion for International Development Drives Double Alum

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 12:36:49 +0000

Passion for International Development Drives Double Alum Andrew J Schappert Mon, 10/28/2024 - 08:36

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From a young age, Annie Tulann always had her sights on ��AV. As a resident of Arlington, Virginia, she was familiar with the school and its reputation.

“I remember thinking early on when I was younger, ‘I am going to go to George Mason,’ which seems funny looking back now,” she said. “But it was a great school—close to D.C., close to my family, and really diverse. I just knew I’d feel comfortable there.”

‘I’m thrilled that I got my MPP. It’s really set me on the right path forward and it’s become such a huge stepping stone for my career.’

After graduating in 2014 with a degree in biology, Tulann realized that she no longer wanted to pursue a career in medicine. Instead, she joined the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and began working as a program assistant. Within two years, she moved to a new position in the Office of Afghanistan Affairs and the Office of Pakistan Affairs, where she assisted on gender issues, education, water sanitation, and hygiene, traveling to each country multiple times.

In 2018, while still working full time in the Afghanistan and Pakistan offices, Tulann enrolled in the Master of Public Policy program at the Schar School of Policy and Government. At first, she felt nervous entering the program given her science background.

“I didn’t take any development classes or any of that like my peers did,” she said.

Attending orientation and hearing other students talk about their experience helped quell her nerves. A consultation with Jill Deering, senior assistant dean for student and academic affairs at the Schar School, eased any remaining jitters.

“She just made it so comforting for me and made sure that I would have everything that I need,” Tulann said. “It was such a validating experience in the sense of like, you will be OK and you will get through and you will do what you need to do.”

Once classes began, the connection between her coursework and her job was immediate.

“Every single class I had completely correlated to the work that I was doing,” she said. “I took a terrorism class and I was working in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which really worked out well for me, and I started understanding issues deeply.”

When COVID-19 hit in 2020, Tulann was recruited to work on the agency’s COVID-19 task force to make sure rules and regulations were in place.

“At the time I was taking an emergency preparedness class, so every single thing that I was doing was completely aligned,” she said.

In 2021, Tulann graduated with her master’s degree and transitioned from the Office of the Administrator working directly with Administrator Samantha Power to the Executive Secretariat as a program analyst. In her position, she daily navigates through multiple high-stakes projects and works with the agency’s multiple bureaus to ensure that Power has everything she needs.

“I work with the bureaus to make sure that she’s well prepared,” she said.

Tulann’s position affords her the extraordinary chance to attend most of the agency front office and administrator meetings. She has been in rooms with presidents, prime ministers, CEOs, and celebrities.

“It’s a really great opportunity that not everybody in the agency gets to experience,” she said. “I learn directly from the administrator but also from other leaders around the world.”

Earning her MPP, while difficult, was worth it and one of the greatest experiences she’s had, Tulann says.

“I’m thrilled that I got my MPP,” she said. “It’s really set me on the right path forward and it’s become such a huge stepping stone for my career.”

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