Sebastian brings three decades of professional and academic experience spanning diplomacy, law enforcement, journalism, education, and research.

He spent a decade with the U.S. Department of State, working on policy development, enforcement, and investigations addressing irregular migration, human smuggling, transnational document fraud, and extraditions; and background investigations to assess personnel suitability.

Before entering government service, Sebastian spent more than 15 years in visual journalism and media, working as a photographer, writer, photo editor, and visual researcher. His experience includes roles at National Geographic News and The Associated Press, as well as with newspapers, magazines, photo agencies, and media technology startups across the United States and India. He also spent six years developing K–12 educational curricula for K12 Inc. His expertise encompassed newsroom coordination, research, story development, photo editing, image library management, metadata, and copyright administration.

Sebastian is currently pursuing an Advanced Master’s in Digital Humanities at KU Leuven in Belgium. He holds master’s degrees in Geology and Communication and Journalism from India, as well as a certificate in Digital Curation from the University of Maryland.

Beyond his professional and academic pursuits, Sebastian has formal training in culinary arts, including a Diploma in Peruvian Gastronomy from Le Cordon Bleu Peru and additional studies at ACAM Culinary School in Guatemala. His culinary interests center on Indian, Latin American, and American cuisines.

A former national-level athlete, Sebastian holds a second-degree black belt in Judo and is an IJF-certified instructor and national referee in the United States and Belgium. He also holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Having lived in Peru, Guatemala, India, Tanzania, and Belgium, Sebastian speaks English, Spanish, and several Indian languages, and is currently learning French.