Fulbright experience paves way for career in foreign service

When Ross* took the job of bus boy at Blue Koi, he had no idea it would place him on a path to pursue his dream job of working for the foreign service.

The relationship he formed with the owners of the well-known Chinese restaurant in Leawood led to an interest in East Asia. His interest in East Asia resulted in spending a year abroad in Taiwan under a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. And his Fulbright experience provided the groundwork necessary to secure a William D. Clarke, Sr. Diplomatic Security Fellowship. Similar in prestige to its U.S. State Department counterparts - the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program and the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program - the Diplomatic Security Fellowship provides financial assistance for a two-year graduate program.

“I would have never known,” Ross said of using his job at Blue Koi as “a stepping-off point to get all these opportunities.”

Ross, who graduated from KU in 2021 with a degree in global and international studies and a minor in intelligence and national security studies, grew up in Shawnee

“The foreign service was a natural draw for me,” Ross said, “because it combines that duty to serve and public service with the ability to go overseas and learn about different cultures and make connections between the U.S. and other countries.”

Ross began his college journey at Johnson County Community College, where he had his first international experience abroad, studying and living with a host family in Annecy, France. In his junior year, Ross transferred to KU and started taking as many international classes as he could.

He recalls an introductory international and global studies course, taught by Brian Lagotte, as being “really great at expanding horizons and giving you a wide breadth of international exposure.”

When John James Kennedy, professor of political science, mentioned the possibility of applying for a Fulbright award, Ross' thoughts turned to Taiwan, the home country of the owners of Blue Koi. What started as a job of bus boy to help pay for school turned into more than five years of employment and moving up the ranks to server. Along the way, Ross fell in love with Chinese and Taiwanese culture

“It’s a huge flash point nowadays politically between China and Taiwan and the U.S.,” Ross said and noted that the connections he formed at the restaurant were a way for him to “learn about the human element rather than the political side.”

Ross was the first student in KU’s history to receive a Fulbright grant to Taiwan. Teaching English in a school of 40 students, Ross spent a year living in the small village of Taimali, which sits along Taiwan’s southeast coast and has a large population of Indigenous Amis and Paiwan people.

During his year abroad, Ross coached baseball, taught physical education classes and set up an English class for Taiwanese government officials. Through the Fulbright program, he experienced a side of Taiwan that he didn’t know much about and that was far removed from the megacities of Taipei and Kaohsiung.

“I would have never, ever in my life been at that school and met those people for any other reason than doing my Fulbright,” Ross said.

Ross is confident his Fulbright experience was essential in receiving the Diplomatic Security Fellowship.

“I had never been a traditional teacher before, let alone done it in another country. So, you kind of get thrown into the hornet's nest a little bit and you come out a better person,” Ross said. “There's a whole rolodex that I can draw on now of experiences in Taiwan and of working overseas in another culture.”

The Diplomatic Security Fellowship is a two-year program for those interested in a master’s degree and career in the Diplomatic Security Service. Along with providing financial support for a master’s degree, the program has two summer practicums: one in Washington, D.C. and the other overseas at a U.S. embassy. Following the program, participants have a three-year commitment to the foreign service.

This fall Ross started a master’s program at Tufts University, where he is studying law and diplomacy. Once Ross joins the Diplomatic Security Service, he will be part of the state department’s law enforcement branch. 

Providing a layer of protection for diplomats to go abroad, the Diplomatic Security Service lays the foundation for diplomacy to be conducted.

“You are the front-facing person that is going to these countries. You are representing the U.S. abroad,” Ross said. “It’s an honor and a challenge.” 

*Ross’ last name is being withheld at the request of the Diplomatic Security Service.