Emily (Lukas) Haji, Minor 2000
Foreign Service Officer, Global Affairs Canada – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
2000 Major: Public Policy; minors in Economics and Political Science
How has being an Economics graduate from Duke helped shape you personally and/or professionally?
"My economics classes helped me to take on a leadership position as the Economic Counsellor at the Canadian Embassy to the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi, where I was the Program Manager for the Economic/Financial reporting program for the GCC region. I met incredibly people and had such interesting conversations about the Gulf state economies. What an exciting opportunity that really helped me to grow as a Diplomat and Foreign Service Officer."
What advice would you give students in Duke's Economics programs?
"Don't be afraid to try out new opportunities in your first few years out of Duke. I ended up in this career by accident when I accompanied a friend to the Foreign Service Exam and surprisingly passed! It's been really interesting and at times quite exciting. Don't be afraid to take the foreign service exam - and maybe even more than once!"
