Each year, the Jackson School takes University of Washington undergrads beyond the classroom and into the heart of U.S. foreign policymaking. For the second annual Washington D.C. spring break trip, 25 students traveled to the nation’s capital from March 22 – March 28 with faculty members Stephen Meyers and Jessica Beyer for a week of immersive meetings spanning the Pentagon, Department of State, the European Union Delegation, the Embassy of Finland; international organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the World Bank; and events like a panel with early career Jackson School alum. We sat down with participants to hear about their experience networking with UW alumni, exploring career pathways, and seeing international relations in action.
Preferred name: Joseph Riggio
Degree(s): B.A. in Political Science, Law, Societies, and Justice, and Sociology; minor in Human Rights
Hometown: Bothell, Washington
Expected to graduate: Spring 2026
What was your highlight from the trip?
On Friday, the D.C. cohort visited Amnesty International and Human Rights watch. We got to hear from directors about their experience working for an international human rights NGO, and some of the challenges they face that are unique to recent history. Since I am going into global health and human rights advocacy, these panels were the most hyped up for me. The directors and staff that presented reaffirmed my love for human rights advocacy, and reassured me that the community working on human rights is one I want to participate in.
What were the most important lessons you learned during your time in Washington D.C.?
My greatest lesson was a quote from the Human Rights watch director. I asked her how she navigates interpersonal relationships with those who are working against human rights. She replied: “You will fail 99% of the time. That’s just how this work goes. But the 1% success rate is why I continue doing this work.” When she was working with the Department of Defense on mitigating civilian harm, she advocated for their strategic plan to include accounting for civilian harm. When they added it, she had to leave the room. And when she came back, the civilian harm line in the slide deck disappeared. That moment taught her the value of understanding the language and culture of those she pressured to focus on human rights. Once she framed her concerns in a way digestible to military personnel, she was far more successful. This was my major takeaway from the trip, and ever since this moment I spend more time learning how to communicate with my peers more effectively even when I fundamentally disagree with them.
How do you think these lessons will help you in your future career?
Learning cultural sensitivity is crucial to my work. I am going into mental health policy with a concentration in global health. To be effective in creating implementation strategies for evidence based mental health interventions, I need to adapt my communication and implementation efforts to the community I am supporting. Overall, the Jackson School D.C. trip provided necessary skills in the policymaking and advocacy space so that I can work with international government organizations like the International Criminal Court Trust Fund for Victims to improve their reparation services.
Anything else you’d like to mention?
I didn’t have a negative experience during the trip. The schedule was packed with enough down time to process everything. All of the panelists were great, and the people I met during the alumni receptions were super fascinating. I cannot wait to reconnect with the people I met in D.C., which is bound to happen since I plan to work with think tanks, NGOs, and policymakers in DC while I study at Yale University for my master’s and Ph.D. in public health.
