This winter quarter, 86 undergraduates completed the Jackson School’s Donald C. Hellmann Task Force Program, a capstone course that involved several weeks of research, writing, and group collaboration on a current global issue. The program concludes with a student-led evaluation day, where each Task Force presents their final report to an subject field expert.
Name: Claire Gersich
Expected to graduate in: Spring 2026
Degree: B.A. in International Studies and Political Science (International Security)
Task Force title: China’s Space Diplomacy Around the World
Task Force instructor: Saadia M. Pekkanen
Hometown: Pleasanton, California
What key skills do you think the Task Force program gives you?
The Task Force program gives you a bit of every skill you could possibly ask for. It throws you head first into intense project management, in-depth research, incredibly demanding writing and editing processes, and more. You learn how to delegate tasks, complete hefty assignments on your own, and to ask for help when you need it. You practice setting an agenda and sticking to it, rehearsing organizational and accountability skills. The Task Force program emphasizes communication, technical writing, extensive research, and public speaking skills.
Without a doubt, the Task Force program teaches you unmatched skills which prepare you for future work in a professional and academic setting. However, these are not the only skills it teaches you. This program teaches you how to work with people in a professional way, but also in a capacity which emphasizes life-long friendships. We found out how to create relationships which balanced our hefty work load, but also incorporated a sense of fun and amicability. Over complicated topics, intense editing sessions, and presentation practices, we learned how to curate a friendly work environment where co-workers feel like friends—and you still create a successful end product.
What impressed you about Task Force Evaluation Day? What part of the presentation did you find most rewarding?
The thing that impressed me most about Evaluation Day was the complexity of the conversation we had with our Evaluator following our presentation. Our Q&A session following the main part of our presentation was conducted at an extremely high level of expertise regarding our topic, and it truly demonstrated the depth of knowledge that was gained over the course of the quarter. The questions we received were without a doubt difficult, and our Evaluator’s expertise on the topic was daunting, but the research and preparation we conducted prepared us well for the unexpected.
This was also one of the most rewarding parts of the presentation. Our ability to adapt to questions, expand upon our original research, and hold our ground against pushback yielded successful results. It was with great satisfaction that our team continued to do this throughout our presentation without falter, truly showing that our hard work and preparation paid off in the end.
What career are you interested in pursuing after graduation? How did going through the Task Force program impact your career interests/prospects?
After graduation, and after a stint in post-graduate education, I am incredibly interested in pursuing a career in the field of foreign diplomacy. Whether that looks like becoming a foreign service officer to enhance the U.S.’s diplomatic relationships with other countries, working in a think tank to research topics critical to international relations, or something else, I am firm in my decision that my future career will work to make the world a better place for everyone in it.
The Task Force program definitely prepared me for a job in the foreign relations field. It simulated intense project management, multi-faceted group work, and the high-intensity environment of international politics. The depth of the research that was required, the incredibly high expectations set for us, and the exercise of presenting a result to an evaluatory audience was unlike any other experience I have had. It was difficult, but every hurdle I overcame prepared me for a future in a global career. If anything, this project re-emphasized my passions and further secured the ideas I have for my professional career in the international sphere.
