Catherine Killough graduated with a M.A. in Asian Studies in 2017 with a concentration in Politics and Security. She was a 2015-2016 FLAS fellow in Korean area and language studies as well as the co-founder and treasurer of the Georgetown Collaborative Diplomacy Initiative. As a student, she pursued two summer internships working at the Korea Desk at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and for the Office of U.S. Congressional Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI). Currently, she is the Roger Hale Fellow at the Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation dedicated to reducing and eventually eliminating the threats posed by nuclear weapons, where she focuses on North Korea’s nuclear and missile development while advocating for a diplomatic solution to the longstanding US-North Korea conflict.

How did the Asian Studies Program at Georgetown University prepare you for the challenges and opportunities you face in your current position?

Since graduating, I’ve been fortunate to be able to apply my regional studies at MASIA to a new issue area. That has given me a different lens to understand not only developments on the Korean peninsula, but also nuclear weapons policy at large. I’m eager to build on this merging of interests and to inject new, fresh thinking into the public discourse.

Advisor Quote:

“Catherine is among the most talented students I have worked with at Georgetown. She displays initiative in all of her academic and professional work. She views the world in ways for improving the human condition through her research on diplomatic solutions in addition to her commitment for the livelihood of all human beings. She represents the embodiment of her Georgetown education as she displays cura personalis on a daily basis. I am proud of her for her accomplishments, and more importantly, her character.” -Robert Lyons