War broke out Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Many Naveen Jindal School of Management community members had family or friends who were directly affected, including alumnus Vlad Wallace, BS’20.

“I was in London at the time, working from home when the war broke out,” he said. “I was born in Ukraine… I have family in Ukraine, and I didn’t just want to sit by and do nothing. I wanted to do more. I was left with this kind of desire to want to do something, wanting to act.”

“The months following February 2022 were particularly tough,” said Wallace, who graduated from UT Dallas with a BS in Global Business and a BS in International Political Economy. “I first and foremost felt helpless. My entire family is there. I’m here. I was just sitting there having to focus on work from 9 to 5 but thinking, you know, is my grandma safe? Are my cousins safe or my half-sisters safe? The list goes on and on and on.”

Moved by a sense of responsibility and duty to his people, Wallace began raising awareness through his social media following about the war in Ukraine.

“It started off small,” he said. “It was me, just in my own kind of capacity, donating to local organizations in Ukraine within the constraints of my financial means. But then it also became about raising awareness through my social media and stuff like that to try to help my friends and my social circles also understand what was going on and why it was so important. And so, I started off small.”

Wallace’s service would eventually lead to bigger things, including the rescue of his grandmother.

So, Wallace took action. He and a friend hopped on a plane to Poland, rented a car, and drove to the Ukrainian border. Together they served for almost two weeks, providing food and much-needed resources to refugees. Wallace documented his journey over social media and even began a small fundraising campaign to benefit the organization with which he was working.

“We just jumped into things,” he said. “They needed my language skills, both the Russian and Ukrainian … particularly Ukrainian.”

Wallace’s overseas mission to the Ukraine border was not the first time he has served overseas. Wallace has been preparing to serve internationally ever since his time at UT Dallas.

“The Jindal School was phenomenal in providing me with any resources and support that I needed,” he said. “I think that helped me prepare early on and feel comfortable to take the initiative to pursue a career in the Foreign Service.”

As a result of the Jindal School’s study-abroad programs, Wallace spent much of the time during his undergraduate career outside of UT Dallas and outside the U.S. During his undergraduate studies, Wallace studied in Latvia and France, and completed internships in Estonia and the United Kingdom.

“JSOM was particularly helpful because they provided financial assistance and additional academic and professional guidance to support a globally minded career,” he said. “I wasn’t just learning about it in the classroom. I experienced it. I practiced it. I lived it. I think that that’s what made all the difference for me.

“You know, it’s one thing to sit in a classroom and kind of fantasize about having an international career, but it is a totally different experience when you’re living and breathing it. I went from taking global business classes to traveling in Saint-Etienne, France and Tallinn, Estonia to work with youth exchange organizations. Or I took public policy lessons to Riga, Latvia, while I worked with Transparency International, helping them write up anti-corruption reports. I received a wide range of training and skills thanks to the Jindal School.”

Wallace received a wide range of experiences both in and out of the classroom at the Jindal School. He is still applying that foundational international knowledge to his career. Most recently, he was the first UTD student to get accepted into the prestigious Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program, a program funded by the U.S. Department of State that attracts and prepares outstanding young people for Foreign Service careers in the U.S. Department of State. Upon successful completion of a two-year master’s degree program from the Harvard Kennedy School, Wallace will have the opportunity to work as a Foreign Service Officer in accordance with applicable law and State Department policy, serving in Washington and at U.S. embassies, consulates, or diplomatic missions around the globe.