The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Internship

I had the great fortune of working within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)—this enlightening experience exposed me to some of our world’s most pressing challenges. The world is inherently chaotic, but I believe that through collective discernment, purpose, and virtue, we can take meaningful steps towards increasing the harmony within that chaos.

It was deeply inspiring to collaborate with individuals whose unwavering dedication and expertise help shape a safer and more harmonious world. Being even a small part of that effort within OSTP, and witnessing the emergent action of civil society, private industry, and government, has reaffirmed my belief and given me a clearer understanding of how to contribute more effectively to this nuanced goal.

I am immensely grateful to my parents, grandparents, siblings, and the rest of my family and friends. Their love, support, and dedication to others paved the way for me to pursue this unique opportunity. I owe a special thank you to my wife, Daniela Pedraza Novak, who wholeheartedly encouraged me to take this path—even though it meant spending the first few months of our marriage apart—and to my Ph.D. advisor, Lav Varshney, who showed me that this kind of work was possible and supported me as I paused my doctoral research.

To everyone I had the honor of learning from and working with—particularly, Olivia Zhu, Aaron Bartnick, Travis Hoppe, Gopal Sarma, MD, PhD, Aliya Iftikhar, Joseph Waldow, Lisa E. Friedersdorf, Katherine McCarthy, Bob Lawton, Ruhan Syed, Jack Cumming, Lala R. Qadir, Karen Kornbluh, Stephen Welby, and the rest of the Tech and NatSec teams—thank you. Your passion, commitment, and vision have left a lasting impression, and I look forward to seeing where our efforts lead next.