Samantha Monteith ʼ15
Posted on: July 19, 2021
History
Occupation: Staff Assistant, U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of Political Military Affairs
One of the most memorable moments I had while at NGU was participating in the Miss NGU pageant. As a senior, I had zero experience in pageants. Very quickly, I learned how intense the wild world of pageantry can be. When the emcee called my name as Miss NGU, I felt nothing but shock! I enjoyed most getting to represent NGU at events and helping serve the student body- especially serving cheesy grits during exam weeks. While I did have to give up the crown to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer, the experience of being Miss NGU was fantastic and a personal highlight of my time at North Greenville.
Growing up on the beach in Charleston, SC, I fostered a love of nature and a natural curiosity about the world around me. After a high school trip to Italy and Greece to study Latin, I was hooked on travel and decided to pursue a career that allowed me to explore and learn about different cultures. After contemplating work as a photojournalist, I heard about a career as a diplomat and was instantly intrigued. To achieve that goal, I tried to gain as much international experience as I could throughout my time at North Greenville. I studied archaeology in Israel and volunteered in rural Thailand during summer vacations. Since graduating from NGU, I have been to a total of 30 countries and speak Albanian conversationally, as well as a little French and Swedish.
Prior to my work at the State Department, I studied U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security at American University’s School of International Service. Throughout my graduate studies I worked as a research assistant where I focused primarily on the relationship between the Department of Defense and the Department of State as well as the impact of emergent technologies on U.S. strategic communications abroad. Before graduate school, I taught English in Japan with the JET Program and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kosovo.