David Miranda, Compliance and Audit Risk Manager Global Client Management, BNY Mellon

A familiar face at Seton Hall, David was an active member of the University's ROTC program during his undergraduate years. Following his commissioning in 2010 as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he served his country in Afghanistan. "I worked on reconstruction issues and capacity building; everything from building schools and roads to improving how the Afghans managed their budgets and staff."

After developing a strong professional background in post-conflict and reconstruction issues, David was inspired to pursue graduate studies that would allow him to pair his impressive on-the-ground experience with academic training from an institution that shared his values. "When we talk about a Seton Hall degree, we're actually talking about a group of individuals who really want to give back, not only to their community, but also to the world, and that really made coming home to Seton Hall to get my Master's degree an easy decision."

In the classroom, David appreciated the faculty’s encouragement to take advantage of the student diversity, "One of the things I absolutely loved was that Father Brian made us network, which is so important for us as Diplomacy students considering we regularly need to be able to engage with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and countries." David also made the most of the opportunities provided by the School to improve global communities by applying his post-conflict knowledge. During his graduate experience, he was a participant in the Basque Country study seminar, traveling to Navarre and the Basque country in Spain to examine the region's highly contentious past. "I was able to meet the former President of the Basque Country as well as some of the current Navarre Parliament members and really engage with them on a one-to-one level to learn from and contribute to their processes of reconciliation."

Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, David partnered with fellow Diplomacy students to launch a community focused organization, The Hudson County Latino Foundation. This non-profit seeks to improve the lives of the Latino community in Hudson County, New Jersey through three pillars of action: education, healthcare, and community development. For David, founding this organization is a manifestation of the quote he strives to live by, "We rise together, by lifting others up."