Changing Career Paths: From Information Technology to International Affairs
Leslie Perez, SIS/MAIR 鈥22, is a recent graduate with a concentration in Foreign Policy & National Security. During her time at 小蓝视频, she was selected as a tutor for two SIS graduate courses and customized her own "Korea-focused" concentration by teaching herself Korean and completing four courses on Korean politics, history, and economics at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Her capstone is currently used as a 'best-practice' example for 鈥楴orth Korea: Policymaking Primer鈥 classes at both SAIS and Georgetown. Leslie also authored 鈥淏iden ended the Afghanistan War, but won鈥檛 end the longest war in U.S. history,鈥 which was accepted by the East Asia Forum for publication, and she learned skills to create grant proposals and generate funding as a pro-bono project manager for nonprofits in the DC area.
MAIR afforded Leslie the flexibility to make a career change from business, where she was an IT Project Manager, to foreign affairs without having to relocate from the New York City area. As a recent graduate, her experience in the program is still fresh in her mind: 鈥淭he MAIR faculty were extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. The online teaching format of both asynchronous lectures and synchronous sessions provided a unique opportunity to learn the fundamentals from seasoned SIS professors while getting personalized attention and support from knowledgeable instructors.鈥
Her favorite parts of the program, in addition to the small online class sizes, 鈥渨ere the valuable interactions and frequent knowledge-sharing between a globally diverse student body and faculty, providing a unique and rich learning experience.鈥
Leslie also acknowledges the impact that the program has had on her professional career: 鈥渢he MAIR program helped me repurpose my analytical and professional skills from Finance and IT, including data analysis, research methods, and critical thinking, for a career in foreign affairs journalism and policy writing.鈥
The program鈥檚 flexibility allowed Leslie to create a tailored curriculum: 鈥MAIR gave me the flexibility to customize my program and take several courses in Korean politics, economics, and history from Johns Hopkins University SAIS, giving me the ability to bring informed perspectives and analyses to my North Korea-focused news articles, which are regularly read by users in government, the media, academia, the military, NGOs and business.鈥
Leslie's ultimate goal is to relocate to DC to enhance her career opportunities. She has also benefitted from the听小蓝视频 Career Center: "They really are a great resource! They work hard to brainstorm with you on career paths and locations, they connect you with other alumni in the field, and can direct you to other career resources."听
The Career Center offers resources to alumni, which include one-on-one meetings with career advisors and access to听events and programs, including听job and internship fairs.听
During her last semester, Leslie was awarded the Louis W. Goodman Award for Outstanding Academic Performance.听Leslie works as a freelance writer for NK News, writing North Korea-focused news articles.
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