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Accomplished Foreign Service Officer Named
Inspirational Young Alumnus at Pomona College
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Of all the places David Holmes thought life might lead him
after he graduated from Pomona College in 1997, the
desperate and devastated landscape of post-war Kosovo was
not one of them. But now he couldn’t imagine being anywhere
else.
Holmes works for the U.S. Department of State as a political
and human rights officer, promoting human rights and helping
the society to rebuild in the aftermath of a brutal civil
war.
“I did not know what I wanted to do when I left Pomona, but
I have found it,” said Holmes, who has been named Pomona
College’s Inspirational Young Alumnus for 2004.
“It is a life lived in a true spirit of adventure with the
enviable opportunity to promote the rights of threatened
minority communities, to fight a modern form of slavery, to
bring peace to shattered families, to rebuild a society in
the wake of war, and the promote human rights and a path
toward progress and peace in a dark corner of Europe.”
In his current position, Holmes works with the leaders of
minority communities in Kosovo to monitor their political
positions and activities and encourage them to support the
policies of the international community. He also documents
and advocates for the compassionate resolution of human
rights issues, in particular human trafficking and missing
persons in Kosovo.
Holmes hopes his experiences will inspire other Pomona
graduates to consider a career in public service.
“Pomona graduates often have fascinating, unusual,
idiosyncratic careers, but in their search for 'the road
less traveled' I think perhaps they often fail to realize
the tremendous impact they can have - the tremendous good
they can achieve - by following the well-trodden path of
public service to leverage the influence of their own
country to achieve their ideals,” said Holmes. “Pomona
graduates and their like are precisely the type of people
needed in public service, and now more than ever before.”
After graduation from Pomona, Holmes worked as a consultant
to several organizations, including the United Nations
Peacekeeping Operations. In 2000, he received a Masters in
Management, Economics & International Politics from the
University of St. Andrews in Scotland and, in 2002, a
Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton University. While
at Princeton, he helped to teach a "Practical Ethics" course
with noted professor and bio-ethicist Peter Singer. Holmes
served as a Long-term Election Observer for the Albanian
Parliamentary elections, and NATO Team Leader in the
Partnership for Peace Office in Albania before becoming a
Foreign Service Political Officer for the U.S. Department of
State in 2002.
The Inspirational Young Alumni Award was established to
honor Pomona College graduates of the last decade for their
dedication, perseverance and consistency in following their
vision of the inscription on the Blaisdell Gates: "They only
are loyal to this college who departing, bear their added
riches in trust for mankind." Nominations can be made by
faculty, staff, students or alumni of the College, and the
winner is chosen by a committee of current students.
Pomona College is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts
institutions, offering a comprehensive program in the arts,
humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Its
hallmarks include small classes, close relationships between
students and faculty, and a range of opportunities for
student research.
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