Max Bueno is a first-year MPP student and Black Family Fellow from Middlebury, Connecticut. He was commissioned as a naval officer with the United States Naval Academy (USNA) Class of 2024, graduating with a B.S. in Quantitative Economics. He is one of 20 members of his class selected for immediate graduate education through the Officer Scholarship Program. During his time at Annapolis, he was the President of the Midshipman Action Group, the largest club at USNA with over 1,200 members, or 25% of the student body, and focuses on community service. He was selected as one of four MLK Drum Major Awards for Community Service alongside Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Throughout his last two years, he led volunteer trips to the Lummi Nation, a native tribe in Bellingham, Washington. He was the Mock Trial team captain, the Director of Technology for the Foreign Affairs Conference, and a Peer Writing Tutor at Nimitz Library. He made podcasts with students to share stories of adversity as the President of the “My USNA Story” Club. He is a professional photographer who runs a photo business and works closely with the USNA Public Affairs Office and Alumni Association. He was one of 26 students selected for the United Kingdom International Scholars Program at USNA. At Harvard Kennedy, he plans to pursue the International & Global Affairs Concentration. After that, he will pursue a career in the military. He hopes to contribute to the United States Indo-Pacific strategy and expand U.S. intelligence-sharing capabilities. As a Filipino-American, he plans to strengthen U.S.-Philippines relations during and beyond his time serving on active duty.