Dennis Murphy – NexGen Global Forum

Dennis Murphy is a Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholar taking part in the Tsinghua-SAIS Dual Degree Program. He developed a strong sense of service to his country at a young age, bearing the name of his uncle who did not long survive the Vietnam War. This drive was made apparent in his work and his actions since the death of his younger brother in 2013. It is Dennis’ intent to work in areas of international cooperation on a resolution of state and non-state violence, and it is here where he sees China as the strongest potential partner that the United States could hope for. Conflicts in the Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia are disruptive to the economic integration and effective moral leadership that China has espoused since the announcement of the One Belt, One Road initiative.

Dennis does not come from a background of wealth. He spent most of his early working years helping his dad as a part time septic laborer. Dennis’ first paying job was at his community college in Middlesex, Massachusetts as an English tutor, where it was his job to assist in the development of a large number of first generation students and individuals in ESL programs. While there, he graduated top of his class as a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the Commonwealth Honors Program, the Student Union Government Association, and several other organizations. For this in part, Dennis was selected for the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship which helped sponsor his education at the School of International Service at American University, which he graduated from in December 2016 with a similar range of extracurriculars.