Aaron Hilton ’23, from Washington, D.C., is concentrating in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and pursuing certificates in European cultural studies, history and practice of diplomacy, contemporary European politics and society, and French. He also is earning a minor in naval science from Rutgers University as part of his involvement with the joint Princeton/Rutgers Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program. Hilton is a Class of 2022 Dean’s Scholar in the Nations’ Service. Before graduating and commissioning in the U.S. Navy, Hilton is interested in working on the civilian side of government, specifically in the defense and intelligence communities. Previously, Hilton has worked at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a research associate with the Center for Global Security Research. Hilton’s research focused primarily on the integration of medium and large autonomous unmanned surface vessels into the Navy. For Navy ROTC, he has spent time training onboard a ballistic missile submarine and at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. Hilton took a gap year and a leave of absence from Princeton in order to pursue a career as a professional ballet dancer with Boston Ballet and the Miami City Ballet. He is a fellow at the Center for International Security Studies and sings with the Princeton Nassoons.

In summer 2022, Hilton is working for the Defense Department, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy.