Meet UMD’s New Fall International Policy and Diplomacy Fellows: Sam Gibson and Toveli Schmuland
Sam Gibson hails from North Carolina and is a MA Candidate in German and European Studies at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, with a degree in European History and a minor in French. With strong interests in European and Transatlantic affairs, Sam has also interned for the Macedonian Mission to the EU, while studying abroad in Brussels, gaining valuable experience in the heart of Europe. Sam hopes that working with UMD in DC as an International Policy and Diplomacy Fellow will enrich his perspective on issues of Macedonian, European, and Transatlantic scope, affording his valuable experience from a different, yet complimentary lens of public diplomacy. Sam hopes to pursue a career in transatlantic affairs.
Toveli Schmuland is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. She attends the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) where she is majoring in International Studies with a minor in Political Studies. She is currently on exchange to study and intern in Washington, DC with the Washington Center for her final semester of undergraduate studies. At home, she has served as an Associate Editor of the Interdisciplinary Section of the University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal. Additionally, she has worked as a research assistant for one of her professors with the current intent to co-author an academic journal article together. Traveling is one of her major passions, and this spring she participated in the Arts and Science Summer Study Tour to China with the U of S. She is also an active member and leader in her church’s College Ministry, serving on the event planning committee. She is passionate about human rights, international relations, and improved humanitarian aid for better international development. After graduating, Toveli hopes to pursue a masters in International Development. As a fellow at UMD, she hopes the opportunity will provide insight into the field of non-profit and advocacy work abroad.