Malyar Sadeq Azad, A20, F22

Why was Fletcher the right school for you?  

I would like to work for the State Department, to fulfill my values of contributing to a peaceful and better world. As someone who was born and raised in a war-torn area, I so much value peace, stability, liberty, justice, and prosperity. To achieve my career goals, there was no better school than Fletcher, given its reputation, its curriculum, its professors, and impressive alumni.  

How did it prepare you for the work you hope to do? 

The courses not only teach how to create policies in theory, but also how to put them into practice. The method of combining the theoretical and the practical appeals to someone like me who is passionate about being effective in the real world. I was impressed by the guest speakers. If we were talking, for instance, about defense and deterrence, a general from the U.S. military would talk about his mission. And if we had an international negotiation aspect, we had a former official from the State Department in the class. To talk with the practitioners was so valuable. There were questions that I had from the readings and I would ask them, for example, how this works in the real world. It was amazing to get that opportunity to speak with decision makers.  

What surprised you most about Fletcher? 

I felt at home because although all the professors are very accomplished, they are down to earth and very approachable. That was inspiring, how much they cared about their students. Unfortunately, during my education, the Afghanistan crisis meant that I had to help my family there. To see that Fletcher professors, Fletcher leadership, and my Tufts professors and my classmates at Fletcher all reached out to help me here and to help rescue my family really touched my heart. I'm eternally grateful. 

"From my time at Fletcher, I will always remember… "

How hard it is to get from one side of a Fletcher building to another! It takes half an hour and the reason is not the distance. It is too hard because you run into so many classmates and you want to say hello and talk to them and catch up. So by the time you get to your class, you're always late. Also when you get to Mugar Cafe, it’s like you have just walked into a party. When students get into Fletcher, everyone becomes a family. There’s so much support and affection, and friendships are made. Just the name of Fletcher works like a miracle. Fletcher alumni anywhere in the world feel as if they've known you for a long time and they are ready to help. I have now the same feelings.  

This profile originally appeared as part of the series “Profiles in Inspiration: Commencement 2022 Spotlights."