On his 17th birthday in 2003, Nathan Ginty persuaded his parents to allow him to join the U.S. Navy. Thus began an impressive journey of service to his country and to people abroad.
After enlisting at age 17, he was deployed to over 10 countries throughout the next four years, a few which were located in West Africa. This experience triggered his interest in Africa and inspired him to make a difference there. “I truly enjoyed immersing myself in the culture and learning about the different lifestyles people lived,” Nathan reflects.
Following his honorable discharge in 2007, Nathan returned to his home state of New York to pursue his Bachelor’s degree in Geography at the University of Buffalo. Upon graduating, he managed a services department at John’s Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. He also volunteered at the Needle Exchange Program in Baltimore — an organization that works to reduce the spread of infectious diseases throughout the community.
With an expansive background and a strong work ethic towards helping others, Nathan was drawn back to Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer in early 2012. As he began his service in Botswana, he was assigned as an NGO Capacity Builder to develop community programs to prevent and treat HIV in Kanye, a village outside the capital.
Nathan is particularly fond of the Peace Corps due to his exceptional experience serving in Botswana. He remarks, “The Peace Corps gave me an opportunity to work on projects that were meaningful to me while working solely with the Batswana people.” While there, Nathan started a small business on the side that employed a dozen vulnerable youth while contributing a portion of monthly profits to a local NGO’s HIV outreach program.
Nathan considers his time in Kanye one of the greatest accomplishments of his life. As his two years of service came to a close, he knew he had more to give. With the support of both Baylor University and the Peace Corps, Nathan was afforded the opportunity to extend his service into a third year at Botswana-Baylor Children Clinical Center of Excellence. He moved from his village to Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. There, he worked specifically with children who were born HIV positive — yet another life-changing experience. Nathan states, “I am a better person for getting the opportunity to work with, know, and befriend the people of Botswana. I am a proud member of the Bangwaketsi Tribe.”
After nearly three full years of serving in the Peace Corps, Nathan returned to the U.S. to pursue his Master’s in Strategic and International Studies at IWP. Nathan reflects, “I liked the idea of learning from practitioners who have sat in the seats that I aspire to one day. There wasn’t one professor I didn’t respect or didn’t like in any of my classes. One of the great things about IWP is the freedom to engage in civil discourse even when you don’t see eye-to-eye with professors.”
During his last semester at IWP, Nathan submitted his application for the Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) — a very selective program designed to groom the next generation of potential government leaders. In February 2016, he was chosen as a PMF Finalist — one of 552 finalists out of approximately 6,050 applicants. Through this opportunity, Nathan hopes to expand on his public service through service, discipline, judgment, experience, cultural awareness, and most importantly, empathy.
In addition to his own experiences and his time at IWP, Nathan attributes his drive, sense of service, potential, and all successes to his parents who dedicated their lives to serving their family and community.
