Harvard Kennedy School students are busy during the summer months, putting their classroom training to work to deepen their understanding, apply new skills, and bring their knowledge to a new challenge, professional sector, policy area, or part of the world.
Dan Wang MPA 2025 got to know Central Asia this summer—a part of the world he never thought he’d find himself in—where he focused on public diplomacy and fundraising for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, the principal pro-democracy group in armed resistance to Taliban rule.
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Where did you work this summer?
I was in Central Asia working for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), the principal pro-democracy group in armed resistance to Taliban rule, as Strategic Advisor to Ali Maisam Nazary, Head of Foreign Relations for the NRF.
What did you work on?
My major focuses were public diplomacy and fundraising.
The former took the form of amplifying our message of democracy, freedom of belief, and gender equality across digital and traditional media channels, combating Taliban propaganda in the information war that parallels the kinetic one. On the latter, I advocated for a modernization of our fundraising strategy to better incorporate and leverage data analytics, increasing donor lifetime value.
What did you learn during your experience? Which new skills did you develop and how do you think you will apply them in the future?
I learned a great deal about digital strategy, which I anticipate will prove instructive in almost any public sector project I take on going forward, especially in view of the growing emphasis worldwide on digital government.
And how to ride a horse—I did a lot of that.
What was fun?
I enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life, getting to know a part of the world I never thought I’d find myself in, and observing the wealth of grassroots support for our cause.
One particularly special moment came in France, seeing an Afghan refugee’s face light up with hope for the future upon hearing I was en route to work for Ahmad Massoud, founder and leader of the NRF and a highly admired figure.
What are you looking forward to most this fall?
I look forward to continuing my work with the NRF, finding out what great endeavors my classmates were up to over the summer, and hopefully arranging for one of my Afghan colleagues to address interested students here at HKS!
Dan Wang MPA 2026 is among a number of HKS students who received financial support through the School's Summer Internship Fund (SIF). SIF supports students in two-year programs in one summer prior to graduation. Students apply their classroom learning through meaningful public service summer internships to deepen their experience and develop new skills.
