In this phone interview by Kaitlin Splett, Mara Elizabeth Karlin, Class of 2001, discusses her experience as a student at Newcomb College, Tulane University, where she received her Bachelor of Art degree, summa cum laude in Political Science. She talks about how she went on to earn a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies, Middle East Studies, and Economics from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, later completing a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University's School of Advanced International Studies. Mara Karlin is the former the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Secretary of Defense's Strategy and Force Development.