My name is Thomas Edmonds and I am a highly motivated individual. I currently work as an attorney-advisor focusing on internal compliance for ~90,000 federal employees of the IRS. I passed the July 2015 Louisiana Bar Exam and began my career as Judge Advocate in the United States Army. I graduated from law school at Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law, where I earned a Juris Doctor in Civil Law and a certificate in International Law. Before enrolling in law school, I was a graduate student at the Bush School of Government & Public Service, Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. There, I earned a graduate certificate in Advanced International Affairs. In addition to a graduate certificate, I earned a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M University. In undergrad, I majored in Political Science with a focus in International Relations. I earned minors in Arabic Studies and Theater Arts and participated in Army ROTC for three years. I am proficient in Modern Standard Arabic as I took courses for three years in university. I was also fortunate to study abroad in Tunisia to practice speaking, while observing the country’s political upheaval in 2009, during the Arab Spring. I am also proficient in French as I took language courses for four years while living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Currently, I am learning Russian.While living in Dubai, I went to high school where the majority of students were from the Middle East, India, Pakistan, and Africa. Every day was a new challenge. Students from various nations had different points of views because of the way they were raised. We all had different levels of preparation as English was not my fellow peers’ primary language, which is how I learned patience and international contact. I am thankful for the opportunity because it has shaped me into an intuitive and culturally understanding person. I recognize the importance of communication and relationships with different ethnicities and nationalities. My life overseas has taught me patience and understanding of people from different backgrounds and ethnicities.