Joshua Elias is the proud grandson of Cuban-Lebanese refugees and is from Miami, Florida. He studied International Relations at Miami Dade College (MDC) and Political Science at Columbia University. His family’s experience has motivated him to pursue a career in public service and ignited a passion for learning about the world. At MDC, he was in the Honors College, was the Vice-President of the Student Government Association, and studied abroad in Indonesia and Iceland. At Columbia, he was a Representative on the Student Council and volunteered as a teacher and with Columbia’s Housing Equity Project. Joshua was first introduced to international development work as an intern for Mumbai Mobile Creches in India through Columbia’s Experience Overseas program. He was a Global Leader Fellow with the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) and has interned with the International Rescue Committee, an immigration law firm, and the Brookings Institution. After graduating from Columbia, he completed a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA member and was the first Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to serve in Lankaran, Azerbaijan. He just finished a summer internship at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where he worked on the Western Hemisphere team. He is a 2023 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellow. Josh is looking forward to joining the Global Human Development program, gaining a different perspective on global issues, and expanding his skillset. In his free time, Josh enjoys practicing martial arts and playing competitive board games. He speaks Spanish and some Azerbaijani and French.

Why GHD?

As a future Foreign Service Officer and a Political Science major during my undergraduate studies, I knew it would be to my benefit to gain a different perspective on global affairs and expand my skillset. GHD has offered both of those things while fostering a community of diverse, brilliant, and service-minded students who I look forward to tackling the world's most pressing issues with.