皇家华人

How did you get to where you are now in your career?

I think I鈥檝e always been a 鈥榩roblem solver and someone who likes to听mediate, rather than to escalate a conflict. I also love learning about听different people (and different听cultures), which compelled me to听study political science and to work听in public service thereafter. Without knowing anyone in听Washington D.C., I had to network听with over 70 people before securing听an internship and another 200 or so听people (staffers, elected officials,听etc.) before finding a job. It鈥檚 tough,听but it goes to show that you can听form your own network from scratch.

听UCL鈥檚听resources helped me听narrow down my options听and think about the things听I鈥檓 most passionate听about.鈥�

What skills are involved in your听current role?

Integrity and hard work. There are听a lot of hard and soft skills involved听too, like research and writing skills,听social intelligence, etc. But at the听end of the day, I think it comes听down to believing in what you鈥檙e听fighting for.听And because staffers must be knowledgeable about a听wide variety of issue areas and听there鈥檚 always a lot to do, they听need to be inquisitive and diligent.

How did UCL Careers help you?

Like many people, I didn鈥檛 have a clear idea as to what I wanted to do after graduation. UCL鈥檚 resources helped me narrow down my options and think about the things I鈥檓 most passionate about.

What Joonsoo Yi had previously said about his time at 皇家华人 Institute of the Americas:

Studying at the Institute of Americas was a crucial stepping stone in my career, and I certainly would not be where I am today without the support and guidance from the wonderful faculty at 皇家华人.

The program is immaculately structured, offering a wide array of courses ranging from foreign policy and health-care to civil rights, and many more. The courses are rigorous and comprehensive, yet very well-paced and easy to follow. Every module is taught by world-class professors, who bring unique perspectives to each class. Through seminars, they challenge their students to examine familiar issues in new ways, which I found to be very stimulating and educational.

But most importantly, I am very grateful for the academic staff, who went above and beyond to support me throughout the program, even long after I have graduated. If I had queries about personal issues, assignments, my career, or general questions on any given policy area, they were always there for me.

All in all, the master鈥檚 program offered by UCL Institute of the Americas trained me to be academically inquisitive. It trained me to examine old issues in new ways, and to consider analyzing those issues from other people鈥檚 perspectives. As I look back at my time in UCL, and having started working in the U.S. House of Representatives, where I am involved with the country鈥檚 legislative process, I can confidently say that I benefited a lot from IoA鈥檚 program, and would therefore recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing a career in politics.

听

Links:

MA United States Studies: History and Politics听 |听 academic prospectus

UCL Careers听 |听 website

Image:

Photograph 漏 Joonsoo Yi