John “Jack” DeFraites

John “Jack” DeFraites New Orleans, Louisiana

“Detailed, open-minded, valiant”

Intended Liberal Arts and Business Majors:

International Relations and Management Target Language: German Email: jdefraites@tulane.edu Academic Achievements: National Honor Society; National AP

Scholar; Delta Epsilon Phi (German Honor Society); New Orleans

District Literary Rally 1st Place Overall in World Geography;

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Alumni. Extra-curricular Activities: Growing up in uptown New Orleans,

I worked at William’s Plum Street Snowballs for five years. I have participated in Model UN conferences in New Orleans and Berlin, including Tulane’s own 2019 WAVMUN conference.

As leader of my school’s German Culture Club who hosted three German exchange students, I owe it to my high school’s

German-American Partnership Program for inspiring me to learn a language extremely uncommon in Louisiana. Post-graduation,

I completed a three-month long apprenticeship under a brewmaster at the Berliner-Kindl Brewery in Germany, where I learned the fundamentals of beer science at a trade school. Community Service: I am a proud New Orleanian who in high school volunteered weekly with Youth Rebuilding New Orleans, an organization responsible for restoring local houses to sell affordably to public school teachers. As Vice President of BFHS

Green Society, I was a public speaker at a City Council meeting to advocate against building a proposed new wetland gas plant following Entergy’s “astroturfing” scandal. International Experience: During my U.S. Department of State funded gap year, I was assigned a wonderful host family in Berlin and began by integrating into a German high school and at the brewery.

In December, I had the life changing opportunity backpacking to the Finnish Arctic Circle with my friend Robbie. In January, I began interning at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where

I sorted mail and learned spoken Urdu. Overall, I absolutely enjoy learning about often overlooked world cultures and geopolitics, and am excited to continue this through the Altman Program. Personal Interests/Hobbies: Homebrewing, vegetarian cooking, long distance biking, watching Bundesliga soccer and Paul

Barbato’s “Geography Now” Youtube series. Three Words to Describe Himself: Detailed, open-minded, valiant. Fun Fact from Jack: In 2010, I met President Barack Obama at the

Parkway Bakery & Tavern after my family just happened to be dining there just before the secret service closed doors. He was in New Orleans for a speech, and “wanted to try the best Po’Boy in the city.”