Maria Ghigliotti ’20: International Perspective Leading to a Career in Global Intelligence

Posted On

October 29, 2026

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Alumni

Even before she graduated from Emmanuel in 2020, Maria Ghigliotti was preparing for a career that reaches beyond borders.

After graduating from Emmanuel, Maria Ghigliotti '20 earned her master's in international peace & security at King's College in London, England.

As a lead intelligence analyst for International SOS – the world’s leading health and security risk services company – Ghigliotti oversees intelligence and analytical output to provide alerts about potential threats in West and Central Africa. She also helps with strategic thinking for big events, such as the upcoming presidential election in Nigeria, and oversees the work of junior analysts.

No matter how far from Boston her career has brought her – she’s currently based in London – Ghigliotti consistently leans on the foundational knowledge she built as an undergraduate in Emmanuel’s political science major.

With a concentration in international relations and comparative politics, Ghigliotti gained so much insight from her professors’ own points of view and international experiences. Even at a smaller institution, there is “quite an international presence” among the faculty, she said.

In close-knit class discussions, she learned from Professor of Political Science, Dr. Petros Vamvakas and Associate Professor of History, Dr. Violetta Ravagnoli, opening her eyes to new perspectives and helping her better understand other cultures. Combining that with the high-quality, one-on-one mentorship that Emmanuel’s faculty can offer has remained her key to success.

“They all constantly challenged us to think in different ways and challenge the notions we had – which was necessary to expand your worldview as an undergraduate,” Ghigliotti said.

It made a noticeable difference when she made the leap to graduate school and enrolled in the King’s College war studies program in London. The way Emmanuel professors push students to be inquisitive and strive to reach their best made it so the jump to graduate school wasn’t at all jarring, it was the standard she’d already set for herself.

Perspective-shifting conversations took place frequently outside the classroom as well, including during Dr. Vamvakas’ office hours. It would start with a few students stopping in to discuss current events, and before long more and more students would join in, and discussions would evolve between class periods.

“That’s more in line with how things operate in the real world – at the conferences I go to I’m not just learning from panels – it’s from connecting with people and having these types of discussions,” Ghigliotti said.

When it came time for her to graduate in 2020 during the pandemic, her options to launch her career were limited. But with the support of Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Adam Silver, she found a key internship that helped start her on that path.

“That just goes to show the importance of having a network,” Ghigliotti said. “Your network is all around you, you might not have a family member who has a connection, but your professors probably do. And they want to help you succeed.”

Shortly after graduating, Ghigliotti earned her master’s and worked for Free to Run, a women’s rights nonprofit that operates in Iraq and Afghanistan. She had always pictured that she’d end up doing humanitarian work, but when Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021, she felt herself gravitate toward the security field, and from there she dove into crisis and risk management.

Moving across roles as a risk and intelligence analyst, Ghigliotti thrived working on a global scale. At the Risk Assistance Network + Exchange (RANE), her love and passion for Africa developed, and she stayed on that track.

Now as a lead analyst at International SOS, she continues to challenge her own perspectives, and encourages the junior analysts to do the same, just like she learned at Emmanuel.