Not every student has “professional basketball player in Lithuania” on their college resumé, but in the case of Livija Kaktaite, it’s true.
Now the former point guard for Kauno Aistės-LSMU (go Komandos!) can add internships at NATO, a Congressional office, and the Lithuanian embassy to her list of accomplishments, not to mention a newly minted Master of International Security degree from the Schar School of Policy and Government.
Kaktaite arrived from her hometown Sveksna in western Lithuania in her senior year of high school with one bag in her hand. She played basketball at Long Island (New York) Lutheran High where she led the team to the state semifinals. During an open practice session, she caught the eye of then-George Mason University assistant women’s basketball coach Bob Dunn, who convinced the shooting guard to play in Fairfax.
While other NCAA Division 1 schools pursued her, Kaktaite, the Lithuanian Women’s Basketball League assist leader, eventually became captain of the Patriots, and later, a graduate assistant coach. She excelled in the classroom as well as on the court.
“I always say George Mason is my golden lottery ticket,” she said a few weeks after receiving her master’s degree in international security and before beginning an internship in the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO).
“I got to study what I love and play D1 basketball,” she said. “This place means so much to me.”
Now that her basketball eligibility has ended, she’s focused on her future.
“I’m interested in different things,” she said. “But mainly I’m interested in the European region, the Asia-Pacific region, aerospace, and also energy security.”
As it happens, a Schar School adjunct professor is the chairman of the energy security program at the NATO. Arnold C. Dupuy heads up what is called in NATO-ese, Systems Analysis and Studies-163, “Energy Security in the Era of Hybrid Warfare.”
“I asked if there were any opportunities that I could do to research or help out and he said, ‘Sure, hop on this project,’” she said. “So that’s kind of how it started.”
“She's been helping out with my work for the NATO Science and Technology Organization,” Dupuy confirmed. “I'm chairing two studies for the STO and she's providing coordination and administrative help.”
Dupuy, a George Mason graduate himself (BA, History, ’88, MA, International Transactions, ’94), said Kaktaite was “a superb student in my European and Indo-Pacific security courses. She's highly motivated and isn't afraid to take on challenging research projects. She has a handful of internships lined up this summer, which demonstrates her willingness to move her career forward.
“Her career ambitions are to continue in international security, most likely in NATO. I have no doubt she'll succeed in whatever field she chooses.”
Kaktaite’s summer is all about accumulating experiences, she said. Following the stint on the Hill in Rep. Wagner’s office “I have another internship with the Lithuanian Embassy. I’m trying to get a taste of all the perspectives—from the diplomacy side in the government to NATO. I’m trying to be a more well-rounded analyst.”
She commends George Mason’s University Career Services and the website for international students for helping find these positions. “They give you the tools and tell you how to navigate and how to find the opportunities,” she said.
She also commends the school for its flexibility in completing her degree. After taking a semester off to play in her home country, she returned to school—virtually—from Lithuania. While one class was online asynchronously, another was not, requiring her to attend from 2 to 5 a.m., Lithuanian time.
She has no regrets, despite the predawn class.
“It’s an amazing school,” she said of the Schar School. “It’s so well-connected and close to Washington, D.C., and my professors have been tremendous.
“Having professionals who truly care about you and sharing their own experience in their field is important, and they want you to be successful. It’s not just a job for them; they want you to become the next analyst, the next advisor to the president.”