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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 Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Zoe Dahse ’21 works for the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. She serves 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 establishing and maintaining 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” that 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 and demonstrated a strong work ethic and “eager attitude,” according to Ivanova who expressed interest in seeing what her future holds.

Dahse graduated from UW Oshkosh in 2021. Beyond her classes, she was highly involved in several extracurricular activities at UWO including serving on the Segregated Fee Committee where she was vice chair in 2018-19 and chair in 2019-20; participating as senator from 2017-19 with Oshkosh Student Association; and engaging extensively with Model U.N. from 2016-21 where she held various leadership roles including president from 2019-20.

She earned top awards in the 2020 Midwest MUN Competition—the only one among over 400 students to triple-sweep awards—and received “Delegates Choice” voted on by 300 competitors in 2019.

During her senior year at UWO, Dahse wrote in a personal statement for her capstone that she hoped to get a job related to international development and had applied for an international internship connected to topics researched through Model U.N. and coursework under Kenneth Grieb from 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 starting her career, Dahse has traveled extensively across Europe including Austria, Italy, France, Slovakia, Czech Republic Hungary Portugal Poland Türkiye

Dahse noted outside specific work achievements she is most proud of making a career abroad despite never having left USA before interning at IAEA or even holding passport She emphasized pride applying continuing finding further job contracts staying competitive field while acknowledging challenges living abroad away family friends hometown especially following unexpected loss younger sister last year

She credited five years spent preparing future assisting building knowledge skill set character leadership ability

The UW Oshkosh Alumni Association will celebrate talents successes thirteen alumni during Homecoming weekend Oct four receiving Distinguished Alumni Award two recognized Outstanding Service Awards seven including Dahse being honored Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Learn more:

13 UWO alumni honored 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 honored Distinguished Alumni Award