Mariya Ilyas is currently pursuing her master’s degree at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where she is studying international security, global maritime affairs, and conflict resolution. Born in Pakistan and raised in Alexandria, VA, Mariya aspires to serve her country and be a voice for underrepresented groups when she joins the U.S. Foreign Service as part of the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship.

Mariya is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, and organizes programming around these topics as a leader of the Fletcher Islamic Society, Fletcher Students of Color & Allies, and Women in International Security. She is also an avid writer and uses travel blogging as a tool for cultural diplomacy—to foster dialogue, exchange perspectives, and increase understanding of foreign cultures.

Prior to Fletcher, Mariya worked in both the public and private sectors: teaching English in Turkey (Fulbright Scholarship) and Pakistan (Davis Projects for Peace Award); interning at The White House, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Embassy Bangkok; and working for a fortune-100 company in Boston as an analyst. Mariya graduated in 2013 from Bowdoin College, where she majored in mathematics and minored in sociology and government.