The hardest decision I ever had to make occurred on June 10th, 2025, in a small village outside of Chișinău, Moldova. I was a Peace Corps trainee who had arrived in the country less than a week earlier. The previous afternoon, I had a call with the Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Embassy in Moldova. Staring out over green pastures, I was offered a Fulbright Scholarship. Fulbright had been my dream for as long as I could remember, and despite my excitement upon being selected, I knew it would mean leaving the Peace Corps, an organization I loved and deeply cared about. Pursuing a Fulbright would require leaving Moldova on short notice, with the promise that I would return in August. Having just graduated from college, I was suddenly faced with the toughest decision of my professional life.
Ultimately, I chose Fulbright because the Embassy wanted to deploy my Russian language skills in a place where they would be most useful, and because I would be conducting diplomatic events throughout the country, including in the breakaway region of Transnistria. The Peace Corps would have been incredible, and I certainly hope to return to it later in life. However, the leadership provided no insight into where I would be sent or whether I would be able to use Russian daily. Additionally, Fulbright allows me to work directly under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy, an unparalleled experience for someone whose goal is to become a diplomat.
