Learning about China’s foreign policy from a giant like Professor Thomas Christensen was the academic highlight of my life. Having spent fifteen months in the Middle East and four years in Europe, it was thrilling to learn from a leading expert about East Asia, a region I knew little about.

I was part of a team that really tried to teach and learn from one another in order to work together on a policy challenge consisting of hypothetical cyberattacks on various infrastructure and services across New York City.  Because of this competition, I learned about the New York City Cyber Command (NYC3) – an agency that leads the City’s cyber defense efforts to prevent, detect, respond, and recover from cyber threats. This initial interaction and exposure to the agency’s role in protecting one of the most populous municipalities in the country paved the way for my current internship with NYC3 as a policy intern.

While an undergraduate, my greatest accomplishments were managing the drafting and successful passing of a suite of tenants’ rights bills in the West Virginia State legislature and lobbying to create robust, systemic transformations in support of LGBTQ+ youth.

I have learned so much in my first year and am amazed at the resilience of our community to handle this crisis. My cohort is now scattered across the globe and have shifted to online learning, but we look forward to once again returning to the International Affairs Building and campus life.

I was a completely different person before coming to SIPA. The challenges that one faces here definitely make you grow as a person and as a professional. Being surrounded by similarly minded people who want to change things and fight for injustices is invaluable. I leave SIPA with a feeling of hope, knowing that with SIPA students as future leaders, we are moving towards a better world. I am so thankful for this experience.