Alumni Update: John Golden ’15

I graduated from Dartmouth in 2015. Following graduation, I attended Officer Candidate School for the U.S. Navy and became a Surface Warfare Officer. I spent five years on active duty serving onboard the USS JOHN FINN (DDG 113) and USS MOBILE BAY (CG 53). My time on active duty was a fantastic experience, I was lucky enough to sail in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans as well as sail through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Panama Canal.

I am now a first-year student at Columbia Business School. I am a pursuing a dual degree at Columbia and will also attend Columbia SIPA where I will earn my Master of International Affairs in addition to my MBA. I am also a U.S. Navy Reservist assigned to Expeditionary Port Unit 102 based out of Navy Operational Support Center in New York City.

My educational experience at Dartmouth continues to drive my career. I focused on international relations as an undergraduate; the fantastic professors and what I learned in the classroom prepared me for many of the things I saw in the Navy. I was able to observe how policy was implemented and how it impacted relationships between countries firsthand. What I learned at Dartmouth and the Government Department greatly contributed to my time on active duty as well as my decision to pursue further education in international affairs at Columbia SIPA.

Written by

Miya Wickramasinghe