Foreign Service Careers with Max Krafft ’09 Thursday, 10/19 12pm • Career Center
Max Krafft ’09 is a diplomat in the Foreign Service of the Department of State. His first assignment was to the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara, Mexico. In November, he heads to Norway to begin his assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Oslo. Max specializes in Public Diplomacy — a combination of public affairs work, planning cultural and educational programs and exchanges, and relationship building — but he also has experience with a broad range of diplomatic activities, including helping American citizens in distress (including those injured or arrested overseas), meeting with foreign government officials, and planning events with visiting American artists and authors. He speaks Spanish and Norwegian, both of which he learned at the Foreign Service Institute, as well as some German and Arabic. His pre-Foreign Service career includes stints as a marketing copywriter, video producer/director, bicycle mechanic, and baker.
Max began at Wesleyan with the Class of 2004, but took a break from his studies a couple years in, during which time he served in the U.S. Army as a bass guitar player in a military band. He returned to finish his degree in English with the Class of 2009, graduating with University Honors. While at Wesleyan, Max was active in the LGBT+ community and the campus music scene, and worked as a Writing Tutor and for the Sound Co-op. He is a member of the Eclectic Society and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Max credits his liberal arts experience at Wesleyan with helping prepare him for diplomatic work, which requires creativity, flexibility, persistence, and the ability to understand and communicate with people from other cultures and backgrounds.