If there is one thing Caroline Mallory knows, it’s that she doesn’t know where her work is going to take her next.

A member of the 2023 graduating class, Mallory’s collegiate career started in Bloomington, Ind., where she began her undergraduate studies at Indiana University. However, after just one semester, the Columbus native found herself back in the Buckeye State capital, attending her hometown school.

An international studies major with a specialization in security and intelligence, Mallory has always had an interest in traveling. As she graduates with her degree from The Ohio State University’s College of Arts and Sciences, she is excited to turn her passion into a career.

“It was always what interested me,” Mallory said when discussing her major. “Especially geopolitics and interactions. I have always been interested in learning about different cultures and why history played out the way it did.”

Since coming to Ohio State in 2020, Mallory has made the most of her opportunities. She spent time in Honolulu as an intern and research fellow for the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies and studied abroad at Universidad de Granada in Spain for the fall 2022 semester. 

“That was such a unique experience,” Mallory said of her time in Granada. “I ended up loving it. It is a great city. I picked up a lot of the language and got to meet a lot of cool people I wouldn’t have otherwise crossed paths with. I learned from a great mix of cultures.”

Mallory’s experience led to her being named a Gaither Junior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. She will head to the nation’s capital following graduation from Ohio State, an opportunity she is excited for.

There, she will assist senior fellows with research and geographic information systems (GIS) projects within its South Asia program.

“This will give me a lot of great experience in research, GIS and networking. The people I will be working with are very well-known in the industry,” she said. “People from my work in Hawaii know my boss in D.C. so it is cool to see those things link together.

“In the future, it will help open doors because I will have a better understanding of what I am looking for in my next position,” Mallory continued. “Having this fellowship in my back pocket shows my credibility and hopefully gets my foot in the door.”

Once her work in Washington is complete, Mallory said she is unsure of what the next step is. Graduate school could be an option, or she could immediately enter the workforce.

Regardless of what comes next, she said her goal is to work in a capacity where she is helping to build an ethical and innovative supply chain of resources for developing countries.

“My undergraduate thesis was on cobalt mining in Congo and helping local communities ensure that their supply chain is clean and human rights are being respected,” she said. “This is not a role for me, but rather the community. However, I want to help give aid and support to help that sort of development.”

Although her undergraduate career at Ohio State is at an end, Mallory said she will forever be grateful for everyone who helped get her to this point. She specifically mentioned the Undergraduate Fellowships Office, the College of Arts and Sciences Career Accelerator Fund and the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Scholarships program.

“They helped fund my internship in Hawaii and also helped me get a credit for completing my undergraduate thesis,” she said. “That was integral in getting this fellowship. What I have really appreciated about Ohio State is I was able to really narrow down my community. It’s a huge campus, but I still get to see the same people every day and that has helped cultivate relationships and I think that is a very valuable asset to take forward.”