An expert in the intersection of communications and foreign policy, citizen alumna and Tisch College Board of Advocates member Tara Sonenshine, J81, says her undergraduate experience at Tufts was instrumental in developing her career.“My professional life was shaped by my experiences at Tufts and by the students and professors I met there,” said Sonenshine, who currently is Executive Vice President at the United States Institute of Peace, helping to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts overseas. “The exposure to international affairs and to journalism led me to a career in media and foreign policy.”
Sonenshine, who wrote for the Tufts Daily, noted that her broadcast career was launched when Don Klein, her political science professor and mentor, recommended her for an internship at ABC NEWS. The internship was with Tufts alumnus David W. Burke, A'57, who annually selected a Tufts graduate to mentor.
When helping current students develop professionally, Sonenshine points to her own experiences. “Those years at college are important for developing a career path – for working in internships and building networks of connections,” Sonenshine said. “Through people and hard work, the door will open.”
Sonenshine, who earned ten News Emmy Awards for coverage of China, Iran, the Philippines, and South Africa, explained that her interest in foreign policy came naturally from her work in broadcast journalism. “As an editorial producer at ABC NEWS NIGHTLINE, I had the opportunity to travel overseas and produce international documentaries. That gave me a window onto the world and it sparked my interest in the policy world,” Sonenshine said. Adding that “being based as an off -air reporter at the Pentagon for ABC NEWS World News Tonight enabled me to see how interesting the policy side of Washington could be.”
After her work at ABC, Sonenshine delved deeply into the policy world, working as Special Assistant to President Clinton and later serving as Special Adviser to National Security Advisor Samuel “Sandy” Berger and as Communications Director for the National Security Council.
“I have loved working at the intersection of communications and foreign policy,” said Sonenshine. “The world is interconnected in new and exciting ways, opening up all kinds of possibilities for peacemaking and international conflict management. I have the job of a lifetime at the United States Institute of Peace. It continues to be a journey that began in Medford, and I am never sure where it will lead.”
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