Influential Woman · Foreign Affairs
Faria Nasruddin
Independent Consultant
Washington, Dc, DC
Her Story
About Faria
Faria Nasruddin is an independent foreign policy consultant based in Washington, DC. With six years in the foreign affairs field, she focuses on Middle East policy and women's rights issues in the region. She studied history of the Middle East and South Asia at Bowdoin College, completed a master's in Middle East Studies at Harvard University, and studied abroad for a year at the London School of Economics. She grew up in Brazil, where she attended middle and high school. After college, she entered the think tank world to maintain intellectual independence, serving first as program and events manager at the Middle East Institute and then as program associate for the Middle East program at the Wilson Center, where her portfolio included the Middle East Women's Initiative focused on workforce development, women peace and security, and gender-based violence. Following funding cuts that led to her departure from the Wilson Center, she established her independent consulting practice. She received the NextGen Foreign Policy for America NextGen Fellowship in 2025. Nasruddin values empathy and kindness in both her professional and personal life, and she advises that there is no singular path to success in the field.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Faria
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My parents emphasized that your job should be your passion so you wake up excited every day. There's no magic path to success - everyone's career looks different and what works for one person might not work for you. After the chaos with funding cuts, I realized a job doesn't necessarily bring stability; you have to carve your own place in the world.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
There's no singular path in this field. Your starting point is less important - just get your foot in the door and figure it out from there. Don't seek the perfect first job. As long as you're happy and learning something, whether content, skills, or the industry landscape, that's what matters most. Everyone's path is different.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The nonprofit think tank and foreign policy consulting field is restructuring due to funding cuts. Many organizations have shrunk or shuttered, so traditional job opportunities from 3-4 years ago no longer exist. This is a challenge for absorbing professionals. On the opportunity side, individuals can create their own consulting work, finding paths that weren't imaginable just a few years ago.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Empathy is the number one value - the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and understand where they're coming from. Kindness goes a long way too, and it's the world I want to see, so I practice it in both my personal and professional life. These are the two big drivers for me.
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