Honors Project:
My name is Keenan Overa, and I am an aspiring political analysis for the US Foreign Service. As a student in high school I always had more interest in history and how the world interacts with itself, and to that end my academic career at Lehigh has centered on the study of politics and foreign cultures. My dream job is to work with the Foreign Service within the US State Department in the former Soviet sphere, helping to build understand local politics and build relations between countries and the US. My interests outside school include exploring other cultures, as well as music and soccer.
The Eckardt experience has been fundamental in driving my experience at Lehigh. Thanks to the opportunities and flexibility afforded to me, I was able to both continue my study of Mandarin from high school at Lehigh, but also begin Russian from scratch. Russian soon became one of my core academic interests along with politics, and the Eckardt program played a vital role in giving me the opportunity to fund my study abroad semester this past spring in Moscow through a partnership with Middlebury College and the Higher School of Economics in Russia. Without the support of Eckardt, this goal would have never materialized. The Eckardt Program has allowed me to more effectively pursue my interests while at Lehigh, and has introduced me to a wide range of talented yet like-minded individuals with whom I am grateful to have spent my time at Lehigh with. Finally, the faculty within the program have been tremendously supportive every step of the way, and I felt confident that I could turn to the program staff whenever I encountered adversity or confusion in my academic journey.
Hometown: Drums, PA