Her background as a naturalized American born in Ukraine has also given her an added appreciation of the importance of diplomacy and the US’s role in the world.
The government and Asian studies double major, who graduated in 2021, is one of two Polar Bears to secure prestigious foreign service fellowships in the latest round of awards. The other is Khalil Kilani ’25, who has been named a (read more). Both programs are designed to expand access to Foreign Service careers for outstanding young people.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Director of Student Fellowships and Research Cindy Stocks says that, to the best of her knowledge, this is the first time the College has had a Rangel and in the same year. “Both fellowship programs are exceptionally competitive, seeking the very best young people to serve in the Foreign Service and represent the US. It’s an incredible honor for Khalil and Adriana to receive these awards, but it’s also meaningful for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾.”
Pickering on the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ campus in 2011. Among his many achievements, he served as US ambassador to the United Nations from 1989 to 1992.
Nazarko, who immigrated to the US from Ukraine as a child, is among forty-five successful college seniors or recent graduates chosen for the Pickering Fellowship this year, from a pool of over 1,000 applicants. The award is named in honor of US Ambassador and longtime diplomat Thomas Pickering ’53, H’84. “The program is grounded in the principle that a broad range of perspectives strengthen diplomatic efforts and foster a comprehensive approach to global challenges,” according to the program website, and fellows are selected “based on demonstrated merit and financial need.”
The Fellowship includes two years of graduate study in a field relevant to a career in the Foreign Service, internships, professional development, and placement in the Foreign Service upon completing graduate school. Nazarko has applied both to and to Georgetown University’s , to pursue a course in security studies with a regional certificate in Asian studies.
She is currently based in Japan, where for the past nine months she has been serving as the national chair of the Association for Japan Exchange and Teaching (AJET). Nazarko has been living and working in the Asian country since August 2022, when she became an assistant language teacher at the , which is administered by AJET.
“Diplomacy is something that isn't necessarily learned,” she says. “When I was studying international relations, I sort of viewed things from an academic standpoint, and what I came to realize, both at the start of the Ukrainian war and when I arrived here in Japan, is that you really have to be on the ground, and you have to live through those situations.” This, Nazarko adds, involves talking to people to really gauge their insights, what they think, and how that can influence the decision-making process, all of which is really crucial in diplomacy. Language skills are also key to understanding how people in other cultures think, Nazarko stresses. As well as her native Ukrainian, Nazarko speaks Russian, Spanish, and Japanese, which she began studying at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾. “Every language has a different way of thinking, a different way of expressing things, and that makes you reconsider how you have conversations in English as well. It's very useful.”
Nazarko came to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ on a premed track, but that changed in her first year when she attended a State Department career event. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is actually something that I could tangibly do. It's something that I'm extremely interested in,’” she recalls. Nazarko credits the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ Public Service initiative with helping her develop her ambition to work in government. “Having the chance to go to Washington, DC, with the BPS cohort really helped me decide this is the career I want to have.”
During her time in Japan, Nazarko has used her talents in communication and cultural exchange to navigate difficult conversations about war, peace, and what it means to be an American. She arrived in Osaka few months after the onset of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, a conflict which endangers the lives of her extended family on a daily basis. “I knew that my time in Japan would be challenging,” she says. “Despite being in unfamiliar circumstances, I immediately partnered with local organizations to fundraise for Ukrainian medical aid at community events. I used these opportunities as platforms to engage with, and educate, local residents about the war.”
“Every language has a different way of thinking, a different way of expressing things, and that makes you reconsider how you have conversations in English as well."
The experience, said Nazarko, built on the knowledge she gained in 2019 and 2020 on a Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) internship with the US Consulate in Vladivostok. “As a Russian-speaking team member, I was entrusted with the important task of identifying and translating emerging news stories concerning the regional politics of the Russian Far East.” This was not the only State Department internship that Nazarko has undertaken: During her senior year at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ she worked with the US mission in Vienna as part of an international initiative to promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Her experiences so far, says Nazarko, have only reinforced her motivation to become a Foreign Service Officer and to forge deep connections with local communities through public service. “As an immigrant to the United States myself, I have felt the effects of US diplomacy firsthand and I strongly believe in the Department of State's mission to shape the international environment through the proliferation of democratic values.”
