What department are you a graduate student in? 

Political Science

Why did you decide to go to graduate school?

I’ve always liked school and learning, and was always totally fascinated by power dynamics in social settings. Political science provided me a clear way to study that more systematically.

Did your interests change throughout your program?

Yes! At first, I didn’t know how to ask good questions, and I definitely didn’t know what kinds of questions I was best equipped to answer. As I learned more methodology, I also realized additional questions I could ask that I’d previously thought would be impossible to investigate.

What do you want to do with your advanced degree?

So many things! There are things I’m looking forward to writing, classes I’m looking forward to teaching, and experiments I’d like to run. But the post-grad employment goal is working with an IO or research institute and making the world a marginally better place.