#WeAreElliott: Elizabeth Anderson

Elizabeth Anderson is a second-year graduate student in the M.A. in International Science and Technology Policy program. Her area of concentration is space policy. She currently works as an International Program Specialist at NASA’s Office of International and Interagency Relations where her portfolio is focused on Earth science and international partnerships in East Asia. Elizabeth previously worked at Space Foundation as a government affairs specialist, and interned at NASA’s Office of Legislative Affairs, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Senate. She graduated magna cum laude from American University with a B.A. in International Studies in 2021. Elizabeth is also a recipient of the Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship and is proficient in three foreign languages. In her free time, she practices jiu jitsu and enjoys playing pool (poorly) at dive bars. 

When did you realize you wanted an international career? What led you to choose the Elliott School? 

It was my senior year of high school when I decided to pursue an international career. While I didn’t yet know what an international career could look like, I knew I loved studying comparative government and foreign languages. I attended French immersion school growing up and my family lived in India for a year when I was young, both of which greatly contributed to this desire.  After high school, I spent an exchange year in Germany living with a host family and attending a local high school. I then pursued my undergraduate degree in International Relations from American University, where I concentrated my studies on foreign policy and East Asia. While at AU, I received the Critical Language Scholarship and studied Korean in Gwangju for a summer. I also interned around D.C. as an undergraduate, where I started to develop an interest in international space policy.  Choosing the Elliott School for graduate studies was an easy decision. I wanted to focus my advanced studies on space policy and the Elliott School is host to the internationally renowned Space Policy Institute. I spoke with Program Director Scott Pace prior to applying for GWU to ensure that the program was the right fit for me. Not only did Professor Pace take an hour to walk me through the program but he provided broader career advice for working in the space sector, as well.  

Where do you currently work, intern or volunteer, and how does it fit in with your career goals?

I currently work at NASA Headquarters in the Office of International and Interagency Relations. My portfolio is focused on international partnerships in East Asia and Earth science programs. A big part of this job is establishing and strengthening NASA’s international partnerships and providing policy guidance for NASA leadership. My office is also responsible for authoring international agreements between NASA and other space agencies, universities, and foreign government agencies for various scientific programs. I feel very lucky to be able to say that I have my dream job. I could see myself staying at NASA for a long time. My long-term career goal is to continue working to develop international partnerships in the space sector and to eventually represent NASA abroad as an international representative. As the space domain is only becoming more accessible and congested, it will be a challenge for governments and international bodies to keep up with the pace of innovation. I believe that establishing international norms for behavior and governance of the space domain, and doing so alongside international partners, will be the safest way for humanity to head to the stars.  

What has been your most rewarding academic experience at the Elliott School and why? 

The most rewarding academic experience I had at the Elliott School was participating in the Kakehashi Project. Kakehashi is a two-week academic trip in Japan, sponsored by the Government of Japan, where students participate in lectures with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, universities, private tech companies, and stay with a host family in the countryside. I applied for this program through the Elliott School and was selected alongside 3 other GW students. I wanted to participate in this program to get a better understanding of Japan’s role in East Asian international partnerships, as I had not previously taken any coursework on Japanese politics or history. Some of the more memorable moments of this trip were attending a security briefing about the U.S.-Japanese alliance at MOFA, participating in a lecture about Japanese history at Keio University, and staying with a host family in the Fukushima Province. My professors were very accommodating of my participation in this program, as was my leadership at NASA. I came away from the trip with a much deeper understanding of the U.S.-Japan relationship and broader security dynamics in East Asia.  

Describe the pros and cons of being a full-time versus part-time student at the Elliott School.

I am a full-time student at Elliott and I also work full-time at NASA. I do certainly find it challenging to balance my commitments to work, school, my grad cohort, friends, sports, family, etc. One of the pros to working and studying full-time is that you can find lots of overlap between your studies and your work. Another pro is that the Elliott School offers select academic scholarships to full-time students. The main con is the considerable time commitments. My best advice to anyone considering studying and working full-time is that you will never finish every reading, nor will work at the office ever disappear, so manage your time well and above everything else, prioritize your health. 

What advice do you have for incoming students who are starting to think about internship and work opportunities? 

I would tell incoming students to apply for every opportunity that interests them. Figure out what you want to learn more about, whether it’s an industry, a certain country’s foreign policy, non-profit work, etc., and reach out to folks on LinkedIn to connect and ask them questions about their work. Set up networking calls and be genuine about your interests. I got my first internship at NASA when I was an undergraduate student through cold emailing someone in an office I was interested in and asking if I could work for them. That won’t always work but in my case, it did, and it gave me a jump start to a career I wanted to pursue.

What are 3 books everyone should read and why? 

Three books that I love are Pachinko (Min Jin Lee), Born to Run (Christopher McDougall), and Fire and Blood (George RR Martin)  

---

Want to connect with current Elliott School students and alumni? Click here to see how!
Find out more about this program by creating a CustomViewbook!
Join us for an information session, RSVP here!
Click here to apply to the Elliott School!
Twitter · Facebook · Instagram

The #WeAreElliott profile series is managed by the Elliott School Office of Graduate Admissions and highlights current students to answer common questions posed by prospective, incoming, and current students. For more information on this series or to submit questions, e-mail the Office of Graduate Admissions at esiagrad@gwu.edu.

The views expressed by students profiled do not necessarily represent those of organizations they work for, are affiliated with, or the Elliott School of International Affairs.

#WeAreElliott: Brendan Rooks

Brendan Rooks is a second-year master’s candidate in the International Development Studies program at the Elliott School, concentrating in democracy and governance. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Riverside in 2021, where he studied international affairs and public policy. Brendan currently works at the International Republican Institute (IRI), where he supports IRI’s legislative strengthening programming. Prior to joining IRI, Brendan interned at the European Parliament in DC, served as the Director of Advocacy for the non-profit Student Debt Crisis Center, and interned with various other non-profits and labor unions. During his undergraduate career, he pursued his love for the outdoors by becoming a professional camping trip leader and served as a volunteer beekeeper. 

When did you realize you wanted an international career? What led you to choose the Elliott School? 

There was not any one moment that made me realize I wanted an international career. Instead, I can remember as a little kid looking at my dad’s globe that he had in his office and wanting to learn more about different parts of the world, including their history and culture. This curiosity led me to take classes throughout my high school and college education that further compounded my interest and desire to gain international experiences. Now, as an international development practitioner, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to different parts of the world that I could never have dreamed of visiting when I was younger and that I am able to do so through a career in public service.  

I was first exposed to the Elliott School through a Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Public Service fellowship. Over the course of this short weekend course, I was introduced to several Elliott School professors and students who shaped by positive perception of GW and the Elliott School. Following this event, the Elliott School’s International Development Studies program was high on my list of master’s programs that I wanted to attend. After being admitted to the Elliott School, I spoke with all four of my program’s core faculty and was convinced that the Elliott School was the place for me! 

Where do you currently work, intern or volunteer, and how does it fit in with your career goals?

Currently, I work at the international Republican Institute (IRI), where I support IRI’s legislative strengthening programming. IRI is a non-partisan not for profit democracy and governance organization which has worked in over 100 countries. In my role, I work with legislators and legislative staff from across the world to build and support strong and independent legislatures. In my capacity, I have had the opportunity to work with upwards of 150 legislators and legislative staff from over 25 countries on a broad range of topics from strengthening legislative research services to advancing environmental governance efforts. My job aligns perfectly with my current and future career goals. My primary area of interest is ensuring that citizens feel represented by their legislators and strengthening the relationship between citizens and civil society organizations with the legislature. To this end, I have had the unique opportunity to directly engage with legislators on the topic of constituent engagement and have developed tools and resources that allow citizens and civil society organizations to better engage with their elected officials. 

What has been your most rewarding academic experience at the Elliott School and why? 

My most rewarding academic experience at the Elliott School has been the work that I have conducted throughout the course of my capstone project. The International Development Studies program has an excellent capstone curriculum that provides students with tremendous professional development opportunities, from identifying and agreeing on terms with a client to presenting the final research product to professors and peers. The capstone process, which takes place over the final year of the program, is an intensive yet highly rewarding process. For my team’s capstone project, we are conducting research on the role of the legislature in post-conflict states and identifying what characteristics of the legislature either promote continued peace or a return to conflict. The capstone experience has been a highly enriching opportunity that has sharpened my ability to work as a team, honed my research skills, and allowed me and my team to produce a final deliverable that is both valuable and timely for our client. 

Describe the pros and cons of being a full-time versus part-time student at the Elliott School.

There are a number of pros and cons to being a part-time student while also working a full-time job. To start with the positives, I have been immensely grateful for the flexibility that the Elliott School offers to students who chose to work full-time while pursuing their degree. The vast majority of classes are offered in the evenings, which easily allows students to attend their courses after completing a workday. Further, many of the professors are also working professionals in their field and understand the struggles of pursuing a Master’s while working full-time. With this being said, it is certainly a challenge to balance my coursework with my professional work and my time management skills have been put to the test. However, I am incredibly fortunate in that I feel that my coursework and my professional work have been highly complementary and that I have had the opportunity to apply my education directly to the work that I do and conversely that the experiences from my job have allowed me to better apply what I have learned in class. 

What advice do you have for incoming students who are starting to think about internship and work opportunities? 

I would suggest to incoming students that they meet with their professors to discuss their career goals early and often. The Elliott School is fortunate to employ highly qualified experts from just about every sector of the international affairs field as a professor, and these professors are a valuable resource that can point students in the right direction when it comes to getting an internship or a job. Further, I would advise students to utilize the Graduate Student Services (GSS) office to discuss their career goals with the excellent career coaches. The career coaches can help students fine tune their resume, conduct mock interviews, and brainstorm what career avenues are open to them. I would also add that GW Alumni are EVERYWHERE in D.C. and that they are almost always willing to speak with current or prospective students. Students should not be afraid to cold email or LinkedIn message people who work at an organization that they are interested in or who follow a career path that they see for themselves. As someone who considers themselves an introvert, I understand this can be a daunting task, but I would challenge students to set a goal for the number of informal coffees they want to have with working professionals in any given quarter and to hold themselves accountable to this goal. 

Tell us about your pet! 

My dog lives back in California with my parents. He is an eight-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, so he is a little ball of energy! 

---

Want to connect with current Elliott School students and alumni? Click here to see how!
Find out more about this program by creating a CustomViewbook!
Join us for an information session, RSVP here!
Click here to apply to the Elliott School!
Twitter · Facebook · Instagram

The #WeAreElliott profile series is managed by the Elliott School Office of Graduate Admissions and highlights current students to answer common questions posed by prospective, incoming, and current students. For more information on this series or to submit questions, e-mail the Office of Graduate Admissions at esiagrad@gwu.edu.

The views expressed by students profiled do not necessarily represent those of organizations they work for, are affiliated with, or the Elliott School of International Affairs.

#WeAreElliott: Caitlin Mittrick

Caitlin Mittrick is a second-year student in the International Development Studies M.A. program at the Elliott School, concentrating in humanitarian assistance and gender relations. She is a soon-to-be two-time Elliott alum, having graduated with a B.A. in International Affairs from GW in 2022. She currently serves as a Senior Coordinator with the International Development Group, LLC, a small-business international development contracting firm. She has previously interned with USAID, the Advocacy Project, the Atlantic Council, and the American Academy of Diplomacy. In 2024, she was named a finalist for the federal government’s flagship Presidential Management Fellows Program. In her free time, Caitlin enjoys baking, spending time outdoors, and brushing up on her Irish-language skills (she is a dual U.S.-Irish citizen!).  

What path led you to apply to graduate school? Why did you choose the Elliott School? 

I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from GW in 2022. My undergraduate studies, and particularly my concentration in international development, made me confident that I wanted to pursue a career in this field. After consulting with a few of my mentors from previous internships, I learned that a Master’s degree, and especially one from GW, would help me stand out to future employers. Further, I appreciated the curriculum of the M.A. in International Development Studies program. At the time of applying, I was excited by the capstone program and the opportunities it presented for allowing me to engage with widely renowned actors in the field of international development and hone my practical skills.

Where do you currently work, intern or volunteer, and how does it fit in with your career goals?

I currently work for the International Development Group, LLC (IDG). IDG is a small-business international development contracting firm that primarily does work with USAID, MCC, and a few other USG agencies. Through my role as a Senior Coordinator, I am assigned to the USAID-funded Economic Development, Governance, and Enterprise (EDGE) Growth project that operates across 12 countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. My work has taught me what it’s like to work with USAID as an implementing partner. I’ve gained transferable skills relating to project operations and business development. In addition, I’ve gained important soft skills including a strong cultural awareness by collaborating with stakeholders from various countries. As a recipient of GW’s Wolcott Fellowship, I intend to work for the U.S. government following graduation, and it is my goal to work for USAID, in particular. Through networking with current USAID employees, I’ve learned that prior experience with implementing partners is highly sought after by USAID hiring officials because it contributes to a well-rounded perspective of program management and implementation, as well as promotes a strong technical insight. I believe that working with IDG will help to me achieve my post-grad career goals.

What tools/strategies have proved most helpful in making the most of your time at the Elliott School? 

The Graduate Student Services (GSS) office and its team have been very helpful to me during my time as a grad student at the Elliott School. My academic and career development advisors have helped me secure internships and career opportunities. In particular, my academic advisor Lyndia McMullen first introduced me to the organization Advocacy Project, with which I interned abroad, through regular emails alerting me and other students to international internship opportunities. Similarly, my career development advisor Meg Wurm was instrumental to me becoming a finalist for the Presidential Management Fellows Program. I highly recommend incoming graduate students to take advantage of the resources GSS provides.  

What advice do you have for students for staying motivated at work or in class?  

Break larger assignments down into small tasks! This will help make those seemingly insurmountable papers seem much less intimidating. Also, reward yourself periodically after completing tasks with a short walk around campus or a coffee!  

What has been your most memorable experience while studying at the Elliott School? 

My most memorable experience was getting to intern abroad with the Advocacy Project in Nairobi, Kenya. If it hadn’t been for the financial support offered me by the Elliott School’s International Internship Grant, this experience would not have been possible! Working in Kenya, I was able to collaborate directly with a community-based organization supporting a group of women across Nairobi’s informal settlements through an income-generating composting and gardening project! 

What is one book you think everyone should read and why? 

I think everyone interested in international politics should read Wangari Maathai’s memoir Unbowed. She was the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Her work on environmentalism in Kenya while faced with fierce political opposition and oppression is inspiring.  

---

Want to connect with current Elliott School students and alumni? Click here to see how!
Find out more about this program by creating a CustomViewbook!
Join us for an information session, RSVP here!
Click here to apply to the Elliott School!
Twitter · Facebook · Instagram

The #WeAreElliott profile series is managed by the Elliott School Office of Graduate Admissions and highlights current students to answer common questions posed by prospective, incoming, and current students. For more information on this series or to submit questions, e-mail the Office of Graduate Admissions at esiagrad@gwu.edu.

The views expressed by students profiled do not necessarily represent those of organizations they work for, are affiliated with, or the Elliott School of International Affairs.

#WeAreElliott: Keita Nakano

Keita Nakano is an International Development Studies Master’s Student specializing in conflict and development. He has worked with Accept International, a Japan-based International Peacebuilding NGO taking action in deradicalizing and reintegrating former violent extremists in areas such as Somalia, Kenya, and Yemen. During his 3 years there, Keita gained experience in designing Monitoring & Evaluation activities (e.g., focus group discussions, baseline and endline surveys, etc.), writing grant proposals, and assisting the overall implementation of projects. He also gained on-the-ground work experience in Turkana, Kenya, where he conducted various tasks, such as interviews and meetings to key stakeholders and beneficiaries for a climate change resilience build-up project towards pastoralist communities. During his studies at the Elliott School, Keita took various courses such as Project Management, Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods, Negotiation and Conflict Management, and Cross-Cultural Communication. 

What path led you to apply to graduate school? Why did you pick the Elliott School? 

During my years as an undergraduate student in Japan, I was doing an internship at a Japanese peacebuilding NGO called Accept International, that was taking action in deradicalizing and reintegrating former violent extremists in various countries (e.g., Somalia, Yemen, Indonesia, and Kenya). Through such an experience, I gained a passion to become a practitioner in the field of conflict resolution and countering/preventing violent extremism. As an undergraduate (and a student from Japan with no full-time working experience), I realized that I need to gain more practical skills and knowledge in becoming such a practitioner. In addition, I wanted to gain further connections with various peacebuilding NGOs and international organizations. The International Development Studies program at the Elliott School, as well as its location in Washington D.C., provided me such needs – not to mention the possibility to obtain more knowledge in the conflict and peacebuilding field at the same time.  

What has been your favorite course at the Elliott School so far and why? 

There’s too many! As a first, I loved all of the 1-credit professional skills courses that I took, which were Cross-cultural Communications, Gender Advisor Roles and Skills, and Mediation. Even though the courses were held in the weekends (for one or two full-days), they were very interactive and fun. Most importantly, they were very useful throughout all of my working experience, as it enabled me to think about how to interact and work in an international setting, which my career trajectory most likely will be.  

Regarding the field of conflict and peacebuilding, I really liked Dr. Corinne Graff’s Conflict Prevention class. It enabled me to think about the importance and challenges of conflict prevention, which I feel is gaining traction in the conflict and peacebuilding sphere. Rather than being reactionary to conflict, if conflicts can be prevented by building states to be more resilient towards conflict (just like a vaccine), all of the money towards trying to solve conflicts can be used more efficiently! I feel that what I learned through this course enabled me to gain a better understanding of what kind of career path I want to pursue in being a practitioner in the field of conflict and peacebuilding. I was more narrow-minded on aiming to be a practitioner in preventing/countering violent extremism, but now I have become more interested in how to strengthen states to be less prone to conflicts! 

Where do you currently work, intern or volunteer, and how does it fit in with your career goals?

I am currently doing an internship at Search for Common Ground as a project implementation intern for the Asia Regional team. This internship fits very well with my career goal to be a practitioner in the conflict and peacebuilding field, as I believe such responsibilities have enabled me to use both the skills and knowledge I gained through my coursework and internships (e.g., project design, project management, monitoring and evaluation, etc.). To give some context, my responsibilities there are: 1) copy-editing and drafting reports and success stories to donors on various projects across Asia (e.g., Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, etc.); 2) supporting project management through reviewing and consolidating reports developed by local partners into one that is more accessible; 3) updating databases and tools for grants management in various systems; and 4) researching and developing project management and team development tools. Being able to foster practical skills (e.g., project management, donor reporting, budgeting, etc.) while gaining further knowledge of how projects are being implemented on the ground has enabled me to be prepared to be a practitioner in the field of conflict and peacebuilding.   

Think of where you were when you applied to the Elliott School. What advice would you give yourself knowing what you know now, as a student? 

My first advice would be to be prepared for course registration, and make it as consistent as possible for what kind of career you would like to pursue. One of the good things about the IDS program, is that there are a lot of courses you can choose from, including courses from other schools and universities! But as much as that was a big benefit for me, I learned that I need to be more prepared towards registering courses from other universities. In my case, I was looking to register for a course offered outside of GWU, but come registration period, this was very difficult since I had to reach out to the professors offering the course first. Thus, I would advise myself back then to start reaching out to professors and better understand how course registration outside of GWU works beforehand. Another piece of advice is to not be scared about dropping courses. After taking a certain course for one or two weeks, I had a feeling that it may not fit well with my interest, nonetheless, I was a little lazy and did not change it. This came to haunt me later, since as time went by, my energy and passion towards that course dwindled. So, if you do get a sense that it may not fit your interest, I would recommend to change it!  

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned so far at the Elliott School? 

The most valuable thing I learned at Elliott, is that reaching out to anyone is key! All of the faculty members, friends, the connection you develop at events, are very friendly and communicating with them often leads to something! I was able to gain valuable information regarding career development through attending various events hosted by the Elliott School, getting advice from academic advisors and career coaches, and reaching out to professors (who often are also practitioners in development) enabled me to gain further understanding of the field and even more connections. As such, I would highly recommend to go to events (they often have free snacks, food, and drinks) and network, even though they do consume energy. Granted, sometimes, the connections you built will not lead to anything – but the benefits surpass the cost by a lot, and you won’t know what would happen in the future!  

What is your favorite city that you’ve visited and why?

My favorite city would be Solola, a city near Lake Atitilan in Guatemala. I visited there during my 2.5-week solo travel during winter break, and I had the best food and met the nicest people there! All of the food I ate in the local market was great (especially the Hilacha, a type of beef stew that is a common Guatemalan dish) and when I asked people in the market about anything, they responded to me in a very friendly manner – perhaps the friendliest among the six or seven cities I visited during my trip. The numerous types of Mayan clothing people were wearing in the bustling market was also something to see. Even though I only stayed there for half a day, the general atmosphere, the food, and the people make me want to go back again!

---

Want to connect with current Elliott School students and alumni? Click here to see how!
Find out more about this program by creating a CustomViewbook!
Join us for an information session, RSVP here!
Click here to apply to the Elliott School!
Twitter · Facebook · Instagram

The #WeAreElliott profile series is managed by the Elliott School Office of Graduate Admissions and highlights current students to answer common questions posed by prospective, incoming, and current students. For more information on this series or to submit questions, e-mail the Office of Graduate Admissions at esiagrad@gwu.edu.

The views expressed by students profiled do not necessarily represent those of organizations they work for, are affiliated with, or the Elliott School of International Affairs.