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: Sophia Reyes
Degree(s): B.A. in Political Science
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Expected to graduate: Spring 2027
What was your highlight from the trip?
The highlight of my trip was visiting Amnesty International. They offered a perspective of Washington D.C. and politics that hadn’t been discussed before. They gave us a glimpse of what it was really like to live and work in D.C. during the Trump administration’s funding cuts. They allowed us to really discuss what was happening with ICE in the U.S. and how to help. I enjoyed what they did so much that I decided to join the Amnesty International club at UW.
I also loved the Alumni Reception because it was fascinating to learn about the careers people went into after graduation from UW with a degree in international studies, political science, and/or law, societies, and justice. Some alums went into careers related to politics, and some went into careers vastly different from their field of study.
What were the most important lessons you learned during your time in Washington D.C.?
The most important lessons I learned from my trip were the number of opportunities I have to change my career path and change the jobs I want. Every single person we talked to had changed their jobs and career paths several times; some started on The Hill and transitioned to working for the Department of State or in human rights.
Another lesson I learned was to learn as much as you can in every job, no matter how boring or unimportant it feels. We were advised to learn everything about your job so that you become invaluable to your department.
The overall most important lesson I learned was how important your work-life balance is, how important it is to have a good relationship with your coworkers, and how vital it is to rely on your support network. A job in politics is high-stress, time-demanding, and takes an emotional toll, but when your work comes to fruition and helps people, it makes it worth it.
How do you think these lessons will help you in your future career?
These lessons will help me in my future career because I felt like it was hopeless to aim for a job in politics because of how drastic the funding cuts were. Growing up in the D.C. area gave me a perspective that was different from my peers. I knew what D.C. was like during the Obama administration, Trump’s first administration, COVID-19, Biden’s administration, and Trump’s second administration. D.C. has changed so much over the years, and especially with the funding cuts. For the last year, the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) felt somber, and only now, visiting D.C., do I feel hopeful for my future career.
I was worried and still am about how I’d be able to work in politics when it feels like everywhere I look is negative things about politics, whether it be in the US or internationally. I need to remember not just for my future career but now, how important it is to set aside time to read current events, and when to take a break.
