Claudia Rivera Garcia, DIRECTOR OF CLUBS AND CAMPUS RELATIONS
GRADUATE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL – American University
School of International Service – International Affairs Policy Analysis
 

Claudia Rivera Garcia is a current American University Student in the International Affairs Policy Analysis (IAPA) program with a professional competency in Leadership & Management and an International Affairs thematic specialization in Race, Gender & International Peacebuilding. At AU, she was the former IAPA Graduate Student Senator for the 2021-2022 year, where she also worked as a part of the international student committee. 

She was born in Mexico and completed her Global Studies Bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University (ASU) as a first-generation student with a minor in Mandarin Chinese and a TESOL certificate. At ASU, he worked continuously with the Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program (JBMSHP), helping more than 200 underrepresented high-school students from Arizona prepare for collegiate STEM careers.

Additionally, Claudia has worked with EMILY’s List, helping women at the Federal and Gubernatorial level launch and maintain their political careers. She participated in the McCain Institute’s Policy Design Studio in DC, under the guidance of Ret. Ambassador Roderick Moore and Ret. Ambassador Edward O’Donnell in a simulated US Embassy to Kabul, Afghanistan, working as the USAID Mission Director focusing on Afghan women’s issues. Most recently, she’s worked in The US Secretary of State’s Global Women’s Issues office, working on Women, Peace, and Security as a foreign policy priority.

She is currently a Thomas R. Pickering Fellow, where she will begin her career commitment in the Foreign Service in 2023 after the successful completion of her MA at American University. Her goals for her future tenure at the State Department include bolstering the current DEIA initiatives and creating a more accessible selection process for underrepresented individuals seeking to become foreign service officers. She will be serving as the 2022-2023 Director of Clubs and Organizations for the Graduate Student Council and looks forward to working with the campus community.