Alexandra Bruer: Reflections at Graduation

Alexandra Bruer graduated in May 2020 with a Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. She was a Belfer International and Global Affairs Student Fellow while at the Kennedy School. Earlier, Bruer served as an U.S. Army officer for five years, completing two overseas deployments. She has a degree in Government and Near Eastern Studies from Cornell University, and spent time at the American University in Cairo studying Middle Eastern politics and learning Arabic.

Bruer’s areas of study include international relations with a focus on the Middle East and civil-military operations.  While at the Belfer Center, Bruer says the course Solving Tech’s Public Dilemmas taught by Ash Carter had the largest impact on her. The class “was incredibly impactful and sparked my interest in technology policy,” says Bruer. “It exposed me to the spectrum of opportunities and challenges the scientific and broader technology community currently face and will likely face in the future.”

As a Course Assistant for a new class, Policy Design and Delivery, Bruer says “it was a privilege to be part of an exceptional teaching team.” It was exciting, she says, “to see how the class was able to evolve and adapt to help students understand the complex process of policy creation and implementation.”

After graduation, Bruer hopes to pursue a career in the field of technology and national security.