International studies, political science alumna, Dahse earns 2024 UWO Outstanding Young Alumni Award

A recent University of Wisconsin Oshkosh alumna who turned an internship abroad with the International Atomic Energy Agency into a high-level career just a couple of years after graduation, is being honored with an Oustanding Young Alumni Award.

Zoe Dahse '21, who currently resides in Vienna, Austria, works for the United Nations (U.N.) International Atomic Energy Agency as an associate project officer in the Department of Technical Cooperation, division for Asia and the Pacific. Among her job duties is assisting management in the establishment and maintenance of partnerships with member state institutions, U.N. agencies and other international organizations.

A Racine native, Dahse majored in international studies and political science at UWO and was active with the award-winning Model United Nations team.

"Zoe Dahse is the embodiment of Chancellor Leavitt's common statement, 'from UW Oshkosh, you can go anywhere!' Few alumni, much less young alumni, achieve the success Zoe has already added to her resume," said Janet Tierney of Brookfield, a fellow UWO alumna with a close connection to Dahse during her time participating on the UWO Model U.N. team.

Tierney explained that Dahse's internship in Vienna in 2021-22, preceded a move to Paris, France, as a junior analyst for nuclear education and outreach in 2022-23, before she returned to Vienna in October 2023, as an associate project officer at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Jane Gerardo-Abaya, former director at the IAEA, said she knew Dahse since 2021 when she was an intern. It was Dahse's performance as an "efficient, productive, serious young professional" is what brought her back to the division as associate project officer who has been given an important role to coordinate multidisciplinary efforts for a flagship project searching for solutions to plastic pollution.

In her nomination, current division head, Tatiana Ivanova, said Dahse holds a position at the IAEA sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy that was sought by young professionals with master's and graduate degrees.

Though at the beginning of her career, Dahse has had three consecutive contracts, a strong work ethic and "eager attitude," and Ivanova said she is invested in seeing what her future holds.

Skills for her future

Beyond her classes, Dahse was highly involved in several extracurricular activities at UWO including the Segregated Fee Committee, where she was vice chair in 2018-19 and chair in 2019-20; Oshkosh Student Association, where she was senator in 2017-19; and Model U.N. from 2016-21, where she was student association representative in 2017-18, vice president in 2018-19, and president in 2019-20.

She earned top awards in the 2020 Midwest MUN Competition-the only one of 400+ students to triple-sweep awards. In 2019, she was awarded "Delegates Choice"-voted on by 300 competitors.

Dahse said during her senior year at UWO, she wrote in a personal statement in her capstone that she hoped to get a job in "something related to international development," and that she had applied for an international internship. It was related to a topic she researched in Model U.N. and a course she had with (the late) Kenneth Grieb through the international studies department.

"Three years later, I am beyond proud to say that I was offered that internship, which led me to spark an incredible ride of three years of employment opportunities that I never thought were possible," she said.

Since she started her career, Dahse has traveled to Austria, Italy, France, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, Poland and Türkiye.

Dahse said outside her specific work achievements, she is most proud of making a career abroad.

"As I never left the USA before the internship at the IAEA, or even had a passport, I am proud of myself for having the guts to apply, and to continue to find further job contracts to stay abroad in such a competitive field," she said. "While I love my work, it can be very difficult to live abroad away from family, friends and your hometown. I especially felt this in the last year as I unexpectedly lost my younger sister. Due to this, I am very proud of how I have continued to stay on my career path and build my character and resilience."

She said her five years at UWO prepared her for the future-assisting in building her knowledge and skill set, character and leadership ability.

The UW Oshkosh Alumni Association will celebrate the talents and successes of 13 alumni during Homecoming weekend Oct. 18-19. There are four receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award, two recognized with Outstanding Service Awards and seven, including Dahse, being honored with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Learn more:

13 UWO alumni to be honored at Alumni Awards Celebration Homecoming weekend

UW Oshkosh Homecoming

UWO Alumni Relations

UWO medical technology alumna Nussbaum earns Outstanding Young Alumni Award

UWO radio TV film alumnus Freitag to be honored with Distinguished Alumni Award

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