Juliana Maitenaz is a graduate student in the Master of Public Diplomacy program and a Cowan Scholar at USC Annenberg, from Brooklyn, NY. Prior to beginning her graduate studies, Juliana completed a Fulbright research grant in São Paulo, Brazil, developing her research on the transformation of percussion from an instrument of military force to one of cultural diplomacy, primarily focusing on how percussive elements in the Brazilian traditions of Carnaval and samba schools are instrumental to the country’s statecraft and national identity. She plans to return to Brazil on a Boren Fellowship to continue her Portuguese language study and further develop her research.