Deborah Ades graduated from Duke in 2023 with a double major in Public Policy and History. She now serves as a Legal Analyst for the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
How has AGS helped you in your professional life since graduating?
The community for sure. Wherever you go, there is always an AGS alumni willing to sit down and meet you, chat about your goals or if they work in a different field, connect you with the people who can.
What was the most memorable part of your AGS experience?
The most memorable event during my time with AGS was the dinner with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley. It was absolutely unreal to both be a part of running the event for the Duke community and then getting to hear from the former chairman in such a small setting. My attendance at a dinner with such an influential decisionmaker reflects the unique opportunity AGS provides Duke students to interact with big time policy leaders, preparing us to engage thoughtfully and represent our university well.
What is something you wish you had known when you were an undergrad participating in AGS?
I wish I had utilized the opportunity to go on the staff rides more. It is such a unique opportunity to get to travel with peers and professors. Not only do you get the chance to develop close relationships, but you can learn so much from the experience.
What was your favorite AGS experience?
By far my favorite AGS experience was taking the AGS capstone seminar with Professors Feaver and Miles. Beyond being thrown into some of the most fascinating literature and challenges facing grand strategists today, I had the chance to learn from fellows, masters students, and peer undergrads with a wealth of diverse perspectives. The course pushed me so far outside of my comfort zone that few classes have ever contributed so much to my development as a scholar and individual. Further, even today in the course of my actual job, when I get put in rooms filled with experts in the field, I can revert to the lessons I learned in the seminar on how to press on certain points, question assumptions, and leverage the knowledge of those around me. I can say with confidence the capstone is the closest approximation a Duke student can get of what it’s actually like to work in the foreign policy or national security space.
Interview by Halle Wagner