From Research to Reform: A Diplo Alum’s Journey into Global Governance

From the earliest days at Seton Hall, Riana Bucceri 23’ built her professional footing through hands-on experience, meaningful internships and campus leadership roles that shaped both her interests and confidence. Her first internship was with the Better Business Bureau, where she served as a Charity Accountability Analyst. The role offered an early introduction to the nonprofit sector and taught her the fundamentals of working in a professional environment, and how to manage competing responsibilities, communicate effectively and balance internship work with academic demands.

Bucceri’s second internship, with Issue One, marked a shift toward the intersection of technology, policy and democracy. As part of the organization’s technology reform team, she conducted research on political extremism, digital governance and the impacts of major technology platforms on users and the broader information ecosystem. She also contributed to the development of a digital tool aimed at highlighting big tech harms. The experience blended rigorous research with advocacy work and offered room to pursue topics she found personally compelling, solidifying her passion for tech policy and democratic governance.

On campus, she expanded their leadership experience as a Peer Advisor and an active member of the Undergraduate Diplomacy Student Association. These roles allowed Bucceri to take on meaningful responsibilities early in her undergraduate career, explore different career paths and build valuable connections with fellow diplomacy students.

Today, she is part of the Data and Analytics team at the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an organization that collaborates with governments and civil society to advance transparent, participatory and accountable governance around the world. Her role involves maintaining OGP’s digital infrastructure, which tracks thousands of open government commitments made by member countries, and producing analytical work that examines global trends, reforms and policy developments.

She also serves as a Data Advocate with the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, where she is learning new approaches to implementing sustainable and ethical data practices within her organization. Together, these responsibilities place her at the intersection of technology, governance and global development. This is exactly the kind of space her experiences at SHU prepared her for.

For current and prospective Diplos, Bucceri’s advice is clear:

The School of Diplomacy offers so many opportunities so be curious, stay open to new experiences, and explore widely. And once you find pathways that excite you, advocate for yourself. The Diplo faculty and staff truly want to support you, but you have to take the first step and ask.

Categories: Alumni, Education