Name: Jessica Pickering
Hometown: Born – Auckland, New Zealand; Raised – Issaquah, WA
Major: International Studies General Major – Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Peace and Security Track
Minor: European Studies
Hobbies: Traveling, yoga, hiking, volleyball
My interest in Europe first developed when I spent the spring quarter of my freshman year at the University of Washington’s Rome Center, studying the Italian education system and immigration policies. After I returned home, I took a “Europe Today” class, taught by Professor Christine Ingebritsen, which focused on the history and structure of the EU and current events that affect Europe today. This course and Professor Ingebritsen motivated my desire to become involved in European Studies at UW. I represented Slovakia’s Head of State in the West Coast Model EU conference this past February and enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about how decisions are made and policies are developed in Brussels. I am currently working for the Peace Corps Success in Service virtual internship program, coordinating an event for returned volunteers to share their experiences abroad with UW students. I hope to join the Peace Corps and volunteer in an African nation after my undergraduate education, and then either get my master’s in international relations or attend law school. Ultimately I hope to work for the federal government in foreign affairs within the Department of State. As for now, I am looking forward to spending the fall of 2016 in Nantes, France, continuing to study the French language.