Karin Gerlich is the emerging voices specialist in the Public Diplomacy Section of U.S. Embassy Vienna. Together with a small team, she is responsible for explaining the United States to Austrian youth, which they do by way of a variety of outreach activities. Karin's responsibilities include overseeing the Embassy´s university relations, addressing questions concerning education and academia, working with U.S. Government exchange program alumni, and supporting the Ambassador and Senior Embassy officials on projects within her portfolio. Karin is a graduate of the University of Vienna, where she studied English and French translation, and of Smith College's Diploma Program in American Studies, which she attended on a Fulbright grant. She is passionate about the concepts of a liberal arts education and academic and educational exchange.