2026 Duke Sanford Graduates: Braxton Marcela

Growing up in North Carolina, that early attachment stuck. He visited campus as a kid, followed Duke basketball closely, and imagined what it might be like to study there. But as the years went on, his path took him elsewhere: law school, legal practice, and a career in the U.S. Army as a judge advocate focused on national security law. Duke, it seemed, might remain a childhood aspiration.

Then, during a deployment, he found himself revisiting that idea.

“The honest and shortest answer is that I chose to pursue a Master of National Security Policy in order to really fulfill a lifelong aspiration to study at Duke.” What started as curiosity quickly became something more concrete.  “I got bored during my first deployment and decided to jump down a rabbit hole to see if Duke had any part-time academic programs,” he said. When he came across the Master of National Security Policy program, it immediately stood out. “When I found the MNSP program, I thought it sounded amazing, especially since it would let me build on my legal and military career, which focuses on national security law.”

For Marcela, the decision brought together something personal and something professional. “I figured that if I was going to ever actually get to be a Blue Devil, this looked like the perfect opportunity.”

Bridging Law, Military Service, and Strategy

By the time he arrived at Sanford, Marcela already brought a substantial professional background. As an Army judge advocate, his work spans criminal cases, investigations, and national security law across multiple assignments, including deployments overseas. His role places him at the intersection of legal analysis and military operations.

At Sanford, he found an opportunity to zoom out.

“I am admittedly a bit of a nerd, and I really enjoy deeply thinking about consequential issues within my academic and professional work,” he said. “I saw the MNSP as an opportunity to deeply explore strategic level issues that are relevant to my field of work, but outside the scope of my day-to-day work.”

That shift in perspective proved valuable. In the classroom, discussions about global security challenges often connected directly to his experience, but from a broader lens.

“I think my military experience adds a layer of thinking about the strategic foreign policy questions that we encounter in the classes,” he said. “For example, if we have a class discussion on China deterrence, my mind primarily goes to the logistical and operational challenges in forward posturing military forces.” His legal training adds another dimension. 

“I also jump to the legal issues that particularly policy decisions may create—funding authorities, contracting, host nation support, Constitutional war powers, international law, rules of engagement,” he said. That interplay between policy, law, and operations became a defining feature of his time in the program. “Closely studying the cross-over between military law and national security policy has significantly broadened my perspective in how I see my role and specialty as an Army judge advocate.”

Learning in a Community of Practitioners

Marcela found that his experience reflected a broader strength of the MNSP program: the diversity of professional backgrounds within the cohort.

“So many of my classmates have been military or veterans—of various branches and all different backgrounds,” he said. “It has been really informative and constructive to get to take the ranks off and just talk about our views and perspectives on the various national security issues facing our country and the world order.”

That dynamic shaped how he approached both discussion and collaboration.

“I’ve actually found myself losing participation grade points in a few of my classes because I have thoroughly enjoyed soaking in the points and perspectives that my peers in these classes have offered,” he said. “While I do enjoy sharing my thoughts, I also learned immensely from hearing the discussion.”

The program’s emphasis on group work further strengthened those connections. “The group projects were also fun, as working directly with others to put together and present products really helped build both confidence and also build knowledge and skills.”

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One experience, in particular, underscored the depth of those relationships. While supporting a mission in Iraq during his most recent deployment, he reconnected with a fellow member, Major Tom Bentley (MNSP’25) of the MNSP community .

“Being able to meet and study with a person in a civilian environment and then later trust them in a combat setting is incredibly meaningful,” he said.

Lessons in Leadership, Applied in Real Time

While many aspects of the program shaped Marcela’s thinking, one course stood out for its direct and immediate impact on his work: Leadership in the National Security Environment, taught by Dr. John Hillen.

“I referred back to Dr. John Hillen’s class just about every day on deployment,” he said.

As Senior Litigation Counsel in a deployed environment, Marcela held responsibility for complex legal work across a wide operational area, while also leading soldiers and coordinating across units.

“I had Soldiers in my section that I was responsible for, and I had to assert a leadership mantle for other units and legal offices in the region,” he said. Hillen’s course gave him a framework to navigate those responsibilities. “Dr. Hillen taught extensively about assessing yourself as a leader and the various dilemmas that you encounter in leadership.”

Marcela put those lessons into practice in real time. “I found myself regularly going back and reading his class material and assessing how I was performing in actually implementing it in my leadership at work.”

A Program That Feels Like Home

Marcela still remembers arriving for his first summer residency, unsure what to expect after time away from school.

“I remember coming to Duke not entirely sure how this venture would go,” he said. “However, I observed pretty early that it was a constructive and welcoming environment, with similarly minded and motivated peers, very engaged staff and professors, and a welcoming community.”

Courses with Dr. Elizabeth Grasmeder and Mark Mazzetti, alongside Hillen’s leadership class, helped set that tone. “I was just really engaged academically and loved the high level of academic thought and exploration that the courses were facilitating.”

And, in a moment that brought his lifelong Duke fandom full circle, campus delivered a surprise.

“During our first immersion week, I ran into Jon Scheyer in the parking lot behind Sanford while I was walking to Brodhead, and we had a fun chat about Duke basketball.”

A Program That Meets Students Where They Are

Marcela’s time at Sanford did not follow a traditional academic path. During the program, he deployed overseas, creating significant logistical challenges for continuing coursework. In that moment, he saw another side of the Sanford community.

“Kaitlyn, Tim, and Mark were incredibly supportive,” he said. “When the operational tempo made it clear that the fall semester during my deployment would be complicated they readily worked with me to defer that semester and re-start my classes in the spring.”

“They were also incredibly welcoming on my return to Duke,” he added. “Truth be told, coming back to Duke just three weeks after returning to the U.S. almost felt like a second homecoming.”

Looking Ahead & full circle moment

As he prepares to complete the program, Marcela plans to continue building on the foundation he has developed at Sanford.

“In short, I would like to continue to grow and develop as a better leader for my Soldiers and fellow Officers, a more capable attorney and an advisor for my commanders, and a more engaged Soldier and citizen for my country,” he said.

For Marcela, the experience of studying at Duke carries a meaning that goes beyond professional development. It closes a loop that began years earlier.

“I really felt like I was getting to experience the aspects of Duke that I had read about and hoped to find back in high school,” he said.

The place he had admired for years proved to be exactly what he hoped it would be.