Sylvie Ashford | Starting with Questions, Not Answers

I am a co-term student, and I’m finishing up my B.A. in International Relations and Arabic at Stanford, with Honors in Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. I’m originally from Washington, D.C, and before coming to MIP I worked as a Middle East policy research assistant and campaign field organizer. 

MIP was exactly what I hoped it would be. The program brings together fascinating people from different countries and life paths. I learned so much from them in and out of the classroom, which ended up being one of the most meaningful aspects of the program. Particularly after spending the first half of the program on Zoom, I loved every time we were able to come together as a cohort for classes and social events this year.

Being a part of this community has definitely changed how I think about the process of policymaking. What I've really come to understand is that policymaking should start with a question, not an answer, and with a rigorous effort to understand a specific social problem in its own context. After graduation, I'm moving to San Francisco to work at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and I know that keeping that perspective in mind will be a huge help to me as I’m doing policy analysis and advocacy work to support the NRDC's Climate and Clean Energy Program.

David Sprague | MIP Training, Military Service

When I first started as an MIP student, I didn’t realize how flexible the program would be or how many options there are to study in different fields. The program really emphasizes how to approach policy making through practical considerations, not just wishful thinking, whether that’s in computer programming and coding, international affairs, climate science, business, design thinking, or any of the other topics policy covers. There’s a lot of crossover with other programs on campus like the design school and the Graduate School of Business, I think this dynamic gives students a policy framework that's grounded in sound political strategies. 

It’s definitely been a busy two years. Beyond being a MIP student, I’m also an active duty officer in the U.S. army, and I have a family. I’ve been very appreciative of how I was able to work within the program to try and keep all of those different responsibilities in balance. This is the best location, hands down, to pursue a policy degree, and there are so many opportunities to get experience with things you truly value, whether that’s family, friends, researching a topic you have strong opinions about, coding, or surfing.

After graduation, I will be returning to the Army to be an operations officer, or a prime integrator, in organizations ranging from 700 to 10,000 soldiers. I know that what I’ve learned here at FSI in the master’s program — both about policy making and myself — is going to help me serve our men and women in uniform better.

Shirin Kashani | Moving Forward, but Not Away

I am graduating this June, but I’m not going far! The program helped me realize my dreams to continue my career in academia, and so I will be pursuing a PhD in political science here at Stanford.

Part of the MIP experience is the one-on-one advisor matching that the program organizes for students. I was paired with Dr. Jeremy Weinstein, and he was so genuinely helpful and keen on setting me up for success. He met with me every two weeks to help me plan and prepare to be a competitive, successful PhD candidate after MIP.

For any students coming into the program, I would strongly advise you take advantage of how flexible the program is. The four specializations — Cyber, Environment, Governance and Development, and International Security — are there to guide you, not to put you in a box. Take courses from departments in your interests and customize your electives to whatever you think will help you. Don’t be afraid to go beyond what’s expected of you in the program to explore and make the best out of your two years on the Stanford campus!

Mikk Raud | Coming Full Circle

Prior to starting this master’s program, I spent eight years studying and working in Beijing and Hong Kong, where I most recently worked for a global risk consultancy, assisting multinational companies with assessing cyber risk, threats, and regulations, as well as crisis management. One of my goals here at Stanford was to pivot away from Asia and refocus my studies in cyber security and cyber policy in the U.S.

Because it’s right in Silicon Valley and so close to the leading industries, the MIP program here at Stanford was my top choice of school, and it has not disappointed. Aside from being able to closely interact with top faculty members and professors such as Frank Fukuyama, I got to see guest speakers such as President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, and other high-level U.S. military officials that Stanford has brought to campus to speak to students. I’ve learned so much from classes like “INTLPOL 340: Technology, Innovation and Modern War,” taught by Steve Black and Joe Felter, and groups like the Hack Lab.

As my time at Stanford comes to an end, my academic experience and industry experience are making a full circle, and I will be going to work with the global financial technology firm where I interned over the summer. I will be working on technology and information security issues while I am in the U.S. by using the one year of optional practical training (OPT). Given the current events in Ukraine and their proximity to my native Estonia, at some point I would also like to be able to contribute my skills and experience back home.

Each of the students in the 2022 class of the Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy has had the opportunity to practice policymaking and problem solving hands-on in the Policy Change Studio, the two-quarter capstone course of the MIP program. Each year, second-year students partner with NGOs, think tanks, and other groups around the world to get out of the classroom and into the world to bring their know-how to some of the world's most pressing issues.

To learn more about what the 2022 cohort has been working on, explore some of the capstone presentations below.

Ziyi Wang, a second-year student in the Master’s in International Policy (MIP) program, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and plans to study politics at Oxford University next year.

Wang joined the MIP program as a Coterm student and was inspired by her courses, professors, and classmates to continue in academia and pursue a Ph.D at Oxford. She said that MIP classes on topics such as the global economy, American grand strategy, and artificial intelligence left her wanting to know more about the world.

“[Those classes] taught me how much I didn’t know about the skills and expertise that are needed to work in those areas,” Wang said. “MIP has been great in equipping me with the methods and tools to eventually make policy recommendations. But I’d like to gain a little more expertise before I begin my career.”

Wang at European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. Photo courtesy of Ziyi Wang

At MIP, Wang is specializing in international security and is interested in U.S.-China relations. A Beijing native, she attended public school in China before matriculating at Stanford in 2016 as a freshman. As a Coterm student she began taking MIP classes last year while finishing her senior-year undergraduate classes and playing on the Stanford women’s golf team.

Many days, her schedule consisted of waking up at 6 a.m. for a workout, attending class, going to practice in the afternoon, and going to the library before going to bed. Most Friday nights, she was asleep by 7 p.m. Wang said that the experience taught her a valuable lesson in time management.

“I learned that the less time you have, the more efficient you become,” she said.

When Wang applied to the MIP program as a Stanford junior, she intended to play golf professionally after graduating. However, she changed her mind early on in her MIP career after realizing that she wanted to know more about the topics she was learning about in class.

“The MIP program completely changed my life trajectory,” Wang said.

Last summer, she worked as a research assistant to H.R. McMaster, studying the U.S. government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the coordination of government and private sector efforts. The team published a white paper in October with recommendations on how the public and private sectors could work together more efficiently in the case of another public health crisis. 

Wang hopes to have a wide-ranging career after Oxford and aspires to work at an international organization or a think tank, and she would also like to work in the private sector. Eventually, Wang wants to return to academia and end her career teaching the next generation of global leaders.

“I want to return to work at a university because of the professors I’ve interacted with and became close with here at Stanford,” she said, naming Francis Fukuyama, Michael McFaul, Thomas Fingar, Christophe Crombez, and Stephen Krasner as particularly inspirational. “I’m really appreciative of the MIP program and the community, and how professors were very willing to offer me advice when I sought it.” 

By Janani Mohan 

Here’s a fun fact about me — I’m a first-year MIP student at Stanford and I’ve never been to campus. I did grow up in the Bay Area and have probably enjoyed Stanford’s green lawns and palm trees at some point. But I’ve yet to step foot on campus since starting at Stanford.

I could get into how COVID-19 impacted my life, but let’s just say that there is a pandemic between me and in-person attendance for the Fall Quarter.

So I’ve been attending classes virtually from the other side of the country in D.C. Despite how strange 2020 has been, my program has taken steps to make us feel like a part of a close-knit class, whether we’re rooming in Escondido, or on the other side of the country (me!), or the other side of the world (one person in my cohort).

What’s a typical day in my life like? I’m usually juggling a few things: school work, courses, entrepreneurial work for a cybersecurity startup, leading an international nonprofit, and getting-out-the-vote work (since yes, on top of everything, this quarter also has our elections). Here’s how my day looks…

8:30 a.m.: This isn’t early, but technically, since I’m on the East Coast I’m getting up at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time every day. Or so I tell myself to feel more efficient. One of the perks of studying from the East Coast is that my classes never start until late morning, which means that I get the morning to catch up on emails, chats, and finish off some volunteer work.

I volunteer at Dweebs Global, an international nonprofit that provides free mentorship from resume edits to mental health help to those in need around the globe. I co-founded the nonprofit with my sister, Isvari, and brother-in-law, Nathan, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s very uplifting to start the day by working on something that serves others.

Some of our latest work has involved open-source technologies for visually-impaired people, a weekly speaker series with experts, and co-hosting seminars with universities. I usually have a couple of meetings in the morning to either interview new volunteers or organize projects to meet critical needs.

10:30 a.m.: I

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11:30 a.m.: I usually have classes starting at 11:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. in California). My first class of the week is Statistics. I love interacting with my cohort during class — they are so smart and supportive, and I’m lucky to be a part of this group!

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Something I’ve learned to do is to hide the Elsa and Anna stickers on my bedroom’s walls while in class. My sister and I were into the “Frozen” craze, and that’s not something I need all my professors to see.

1:00 p.m.: On the couple days when my schedule is light, I’ll get done with classes at 1 p.m. and have the rest of the day to study, meet with friends, and work some more of course!

On a recent Wednesday, I had a work meeting with an article editor for Dweebs Global, worked on writing an advocacy letter against human rights abuses in Nigeria, and then had fun! I played board games virtually with friends, followed by chit-chatting with one of my MIP friends about everything and anything, including how well-behaved (not) our dogs are.

4:00 p.m.: I invariably end up attending office hours sometime in the afternoon to review materials for class. Some of the material is very new to me (like macroeconomics), while other subjects I need to improve on (like programming). Even though I’m miles away from Stanford, I feel like I’ve been able to develop new skills through our virtual discussions.

I sometimes also do some getting-out-the-vote work around this time. This election is critical, and I have been phone-banking in swing states to encourage people to vote.

5:00 p.m.: In the evening, as the sun is going down,

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7:00 p.m.: I either help cook dinner or help eat dinner. I’m a notoriously bad cook — my record time for cutting garlic was thirty minutes — but it’s always fun to take some down-time with my family. We then eat dinner together, usually while chit-chatting about work or about how our days have been. 

9:00 p.m.: I watch a TV show. I could say it is a deep documentary, but it’s usually some sort of action, fantasy, science fiction, or epic show to relax. 

11:00 p.m.: And then it’s work-time again! I usually continue working on either academics  (economics past midnight!) or volunteer work for Dweebs Global, or I do entrepreneurial work for my cybersecurity startup Udynamix until about 1 to 3 a.m. in the morning. I listen to music while working though, which although not at all productive, does make life a bit more fun!

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I hope you’ve enjoyed my Day in the Life of a Stanford MIP student, an executive director at Dweebs Global, an entrepreneur, and more. For more about my life feel free to contact me — I’m notoriously inactive on social media but you can reach me at jananim@stanford.edu. Always available to chat about the MIP program or about a Day in Your Life.

Six years into her career, Radhika Lalit ‘16 is already making an impact in the fight against climate change. As a manager of the Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Global Finance Team and director of RMI’s Center for Climate-Aligned Finance, she has been working to promote decarbonization across real economy sectors working closely with the financial sector. Before that, Lalit led a global coalition of over 30 organizations to encourage breakthrough innovation in the room air conditioning industry through the Global Cooling Prize.

People are taking notice of her hard work and impact — she was named one of the Energy News Network’s 2020 “40 Under 40” honorees and was awarded the Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) William K. Bowes Jr. Award for Leadership last week.

Lalit, a 2016 graduate of the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy (MIP) program at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), spoke with FSI about the policy impact she has made, her experience in the MIP program, and her advice for young people who want to change the world. 

AW:  You recently were named one of the Energy News Network’s “40 Under 40” award recipients and were awarded the EDF’s William K. Bowes Jr. Award for Leadership - congrats! How does it feel to be recognized in this way so early on in your career?

RL: I feel honored, humble, and incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work on some very impactful and meaningful projects and initiatives — and especially ones that have tremendous climate impacts. I also feel lucky to have had some amazing mentors along the way who have inspired me to work hard and be the best version of myself. The credit for these two recognitions is certainly due in part to my mentors, my colleagues who've worked with me on many of these projects, and my family, who supported me on this journey.

I personally don't think anyone can be successful just by themselves. It takes a village. My hope is that my work can serve as an inspiration to others to join the climate impact movement and further the impact that I've been able to create.

Why did you decide to apply to the MIP program originally?

By the time I was applying to graduate school, I had work experience that equipped me to understand the private sector and the business side of things. However, I believe policy is one of the most effective levers of change, which was one of the reasons why I decided to enroll in the MIP program. FSI is one of the most recognized institutes for the study of international affairs globally. When I looked at the curriculum, I found it to be really holistic and interdisciplinary, which was something that I was looking for.

I also appreciated the flexibility of the program. You can specialize in whichever field you want, and you can take the courses that you think are most appropriate to your specialization. The flexibility that MIP offered was really unique. I was also attracted to the class size and the diversity of the class. MIP has ensured every year that its cohorts are made up of some of the best minds from all around the world — each of whom has had a different experience and comes from a very different background. I've learned a lot of things from the people in the program.

Also, when I looked at the list of who was going to teach us — Professor Francis Fukuyama, Professor Michael McFaul, Professor Kathryn Stoner, Professor Chonira Aturupane — it felt like a dream, and I was certainly looking forward to it. And last but not least, I see myself as an entrepreneur in the making, and as I made a decision about which school I wanted to go to, I knew that Stanford would provide me with an entrepreneurial environment and opportunities for career growth. I definitely wanted to immerse myself in that culture.

How did the MIP program prepare you to make a policy impact with your career?

The program has been instrumental in building a strong foundation for my professional growth. I specialized in Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment within the MIP program and ever since, I've been applying the fundamentals of what I learned there to everything I do. Most importantly, I think the program equips you with the tools and knowledge to think through problems differently and apply yourself to solving the complexity of these challenges to develop resilient solutions. I have really benefited from learning and applying this approach to my work.

What is the policy impact you feel you are having now?

I feel very lucky to be leading some catalytic initiatives over the past three years, which have contributed to fighting the good fight against climate change and spurring larger climate impact. One such initiative is called the Global Cooling Prize. It's an innovation competition intended to reinvent the air conditioner of today — so that it's not only affordable, but so it's also designed to have at least five times less climate impact than what's commonly sold in the market today.

The prize was launched in 2018 by the Rocky Mountain Institute, the government of India, and Mission Innovation, a global initiative working to accelerate clean energy innovation. Innovators and entrepreneurs from around the world were invited to solve the growing climate threat that comes from exponential demand of room air conditioners. We’re aiming to identify cooling solutions that would enhance people's lives without contributing to climate change. 

This is important because the energy demand for room-cooling globally will more than triple in the next 30 years. It will account for 37% of the global electricity demand growth by 2050, and India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia will account for 60% of that additional capacity. 

What would happen if we use our traditional fossil fuel-powered capacity to power this additional demand or surge for room air conditioning? This cooling demand will not only derail us from our Paris Agreement climate goals, but it will also out-space the grid plant capacity infrastructure and impede other critical developments in infrastructure investments in these developing countries. RMI's research indicates that under a business-as-usual scenario, room air conditioners could contribute up to half a degree in global warming by the end of the century. 

Clearly, doing nothing is not an option. And it's important to acknowledge that providing people access to cooling is not a luxury, it is a basic human need for productivity and even survival in some cases. We need a breakthrough technology solution or innovation that can not only help families around the world stay cool, but also ensure that cooling doesn't lead to the warming of our planet.

This is why we created the Global Cooling Prize in 2018. Fast forward a couple of years, and we've identified eight finalists from about 445 applications from 56 countries around the globe. As we speak, the finalists are testing their prototypes in an apartment building in India. The final winner of this competition will be announced in early 2021 at an international ceremony where we will be awarding $1 million to the winner. Hopefully, with these innovations, people who need access to cooling will be able to afford it without further warming our planet.

I'm really moved by the impact of it because I lived in India and I have undergone days of extreme heat stress. I feel very passionate about bringing cooling innovation to the market so that everyone can have access to cooling, without warming the planet.

Tell us about how you aim to have an impact on climate change by partnering with financial institutions. 

The second project that I've been working on is the Center for Climate-Aligned Finance — I'm serving as one of its directors. The center was established as an engine room to help financial institutions and the industries they serve to understand and overcome the practical barriers to climate-aligned financing, which includes lending and investment. The center is part of a global partnership to accelerate sectoral decarbonization, and also focuses on the development of global frameworks that connect financial institutions with what future regulation is going to be in this space with regards to climate.

The center's founding partners include Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase, which are some of the most prominent banks in the U.S. and globally. I believe that finance is the lifeblood of the economy, and with finance aligning itself to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, we will likely see an increase in the pace of decarbonization across some of the most important sectors globally that contribute significantly to global warming today.

In this role, I'm helping to support the creation of global sectoral decarbonization platforms as part of a larger partnership. And I’m very excited about the potential impact of this work that I've just embarked on as well.

What was the most rewarding part of the MIP program for you?   

If I had to choose just one part, I think the opportunity of learning from a world-class faculty tops the list. They're inspirational and being able to learn from such people is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

What advice do you have for young people who are interested in making a policy impact in their careers, either working in an energy or climate-related field, or otherwise? 

I have three pieces of advice, and the first is to take risks. It is so easy for all of us to stay within our comfort zone and do things that we are used to doing, but it’s challenging and daunting to do something that you haven't done before. If you’re passionate about something and believe in the cause, you should embark on the uncharted and challenging path. In my experience,  you learn the most when you challenge yourself. 

Secondly, define your own normal. It is important to challenge the status quo. As future leaders, you will be able to have a more lasting impact if you are able to question what isn’t working and be part of defining the new normal and the way forward.

And finally, be part of the solution. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world," and those words have remained with me. It is our small contributions that inspire larger change in the world around us, so when a problem arises, see what you can do to be part of the solution.

By Ankita Banerjea 

Towards the end of the summer, I’ll admit I was apprehensive about starting the new school year on campus in this dramatically altered world that we’re living in due to the pandemic. For the first couple of days, I kept drawing parallels to last year and feeling frustrated. Once the momentum of classes set in and a routine began to take shape, it was a lot easier to stay engaged and embrace the uniqueness of this situation for what it is. 

I’m a second-year MIP student and all of my classes are remote - that being said, it’s been encouraging to see professors adapting class formats to combat Zoom-fatigue, and find ways for us to engage with our classmates through breakout room activities during class sessions and otherwise. I’m also grateful to still be on Stanford’s campus and take advantage of the natural beauty that it has to offer! 

7:00 a.m.: Ever since the pandemic set in, I’ve attempted to make the most of my day by waking up at a reasonable hour and starting off my morning right. This usually means drinking a cup of coffee, eating something light and reading the headlines for the day before setting up for my 8 a.m class. I also try to stick to a technology-free routine for the first hour of the day and enjoy the beautiful view from my apartment.

7:45 a.m.:

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I have classes continuously until 11 a.m. on Monday, with a 30-minute break in the middle where instead of having to sprint from one side of campus to another, I simply stretch my limbs, have a drink of water and a snack and log into the Zoom link for my next class.

11:00 a.m.: Class on online open source investigation. In this class we learn how to perform targeted research on online platforms, which can be particularly useful when looking into mis/disinformation campaigns intended to mislead. Today we learned how to effectively seek out information on specific individuals we may be interested in. 

11:15 a.m.: I signed up for one of Stanford’s open-air fitness programs which takes place on Monday and Friday afternoons. As a result, I’m able to take a technology break in my day and incorporate some self-care in the form of yoga on Wilbur Field. 

12:30 p.m.:

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FSI: What’s your hometown like?

KV: Auburn, California is between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, pretty close to where the Gold Rush started. It's a beautiful area and growing up there has influenced the way I see the world. The complex history of the area was something that interested me pretty early on as a kid. On field trips in elementary and middle school, we would go around to old mines and mills, but there was much less discussion about what happened to the indigenous people that originally lived in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Last year I read Benjamin Madley’s An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, which opened my eyes to a lot of really chilling events that took place in what’s essentially my community’s backyard. I wish that I would have read it much sooner so I could have gained more perspective on the history of my home state and hometown. The complex political and demographic history that accompanies the idyllic natural landscape formed a bedrock of sorts for my current interests in history, international governance, and environmental policy.  

What are you particularly interested in within the governance and development domain?

Within the last two years, I've dived into international political economy and have been learning about how economic models can help describe political and social systems. I’m interested in how those models can be applied to global development, as well as quantifying and unpacking the political aspects of governance and institutions — to what degree are the models of various political and economic institutions accurate or predictive? And in what cases do models fail us?

What are your long-term career goals?

I think long-term, I would like to work at a think tank or some other type of research institution. My general goal is to be part of the conversation about the way the world works and learn as many perspectives as I can. There are different aspects of academia, the public sector, and the private sector that appeal to me, such as innovation in public-private partnerships and the collaborative environment I’ve experienced in academia. Finding a career where I could balance all of those — I think I’d be happiest doing that.

Why did you decide to do your master's at Stanford?

There’s a lot of crossover between the MIP program and what I was studying in undergrad – international relations – both in terms of general topics and faculty members. My focus in undergrad wasn't so much on economics or political economy; it was more on international history and culture as well as a focus in Latin American and Iberian studies. As I was earning that degree, I was frequently grateful for how interdisciplinary the major was, and I knew that I wanted an interdisciplinary aspect out of any graduate degree program I would eventually pursue. MIP caught my eye not only because it checks that box but also because it offered a coterm option, so I was ultimately able to apply as a junior and start the program as a senior. It was a great opportunity to stick around Stanford a bit longer and continue collaborating with faculty and peers from undergrad.

I also had direct experience with FSI prior to applying to MIP. I did research with professor Lisa Blaydes, an FSI Senior Fellow, during the summer after my sophomore year. Working for her introduced me to a really fascinating intersection between history, political economy, and data analysis. The assistantship spurred me to beef up my quantitative skills. I minored in chemistry during undergrad, so to a certain extent I was used to working with numbers – but combining data crunching with actual historical datasets sparked something in me that has driven me to explore the path I’m on today. I knew that the MIP program had a quantitative methods sequence, so I figured I could continue my education in international history and international policy while also getting better versed in statistics and programming languages.

Do you have any advice for future MIP students?

I think that challenging preconceptions about what the program can offer you is really important because in MIP and at Stanford in general, interdisciplinary learning carries a lot of weight. You can have flexibility in a lot of things that you do. And I think you can see that in the movement of students [between specializations and interests]. Many people come in with a certain specialization in mind — maybe something they did as an undergrad or as a job — but then they realize once they get here that the way they see the world has changed. So they switch specializations or they dabble in both - maybe a mixture of Energy plus Cyber or GovDev plus Security.

It's a really holistic program and you can do tons of the things that you want to do and simultaneously fulfill general requirements. I think that because the program is small and flexible, you can really individualize your education while still building up common skills in the foreign policy, policy implementation, research methods, and economics core requirements.

Aside from academics, what are some of the most meaningful experiences that you had at Stanford?

The internship I did last summer at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was incredible, and I had that opportunity thanks in part to my involvement with the MIP program. The woman who was my supervisor at the UN happened to be a visiting scholar at Stanford last year; she was looking for interns for when she would return to Geneva that summer and was specifically interested in hiring Stanford students. The job posting ended up being circulated via the MIP email list and I was fortunate enough to get hired. In general, getting an internship with the UN can be very complex, so the fact that she was looking for Stanford students because she was working on her research here was a really great opportunity.

Living and working in Geneva over the summer was life-changing: I met and collaborated with some amazing people. I was also able to tie in some of the concepts I had learned about trade, development, and policy change to the UN’s global work, and I have no doubt that I’ll be able to apply these skills to my next steps in research and potentially a Ph.D. down the line.

Amélie-Sophie Vavrovsky is a student in the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy (MIP) program specializing in cyber policy and security. Before coming to Stanford, Amélie-Sophie founded Formally, a legal tech company that simplifies immigration applications for displaced people. She earned her bachelor’s degree in international relations from Brown University and is originally from Vienna, Austria.

FSI: Can you tell me more about your background?
AV: I was really into languages as a child and was eager to live in different places. It started first with an exchange program to Australia. At the time, I was attending a Catholic all-boys school and they sent me to an Australian all-girls school, which is where I became fluent in English. I was 15 when I did that, and I continued wanting to explore and learn about people and different cultures — I can speak about eight languages today. If you count the dead ones, it’s closer to 10.

I spent a little bit of time in Russia after that. Then for my last two years of high school, I went to a school in New Mexico called United World College, where I lived with 200 students from 96 different countries. After that, I went to Brown for undergrad and studied International Relations. I really enjoyed taking classes in the different departments there — I think I took classes in about 16 of them, and I was particularly interested in displacement and migration. It was at Brown that I realized that my passion is at the intersection of tech, law, and policy, and it is also where I founded my startup company, Formally.

What does your company do?
Formally simplifies immigration applications for displaced people. I worked there full-time for about a year before enrolling in the MIP program, and I’m still working on it now. We're trying to do two things: The first is increase legal representation by saving attorneys’ time. About 86% of asylum seekers in the U.S. do not have legal representation, which makes them about five times more likely to be denied- regardless of how valid their case is. We connect applicants to attorneys and are working to increase representation because we know it will make the process fairer.

The second thing we’re doing is building powerful pro se tools — pro se means that applicants represent themselves in court. The U.S. government does not provide an attorney to applicants or and only provides forms in English. Most applicants have to represent themselves — and sometimes children as young as 3 are representing themselves in court. Applicants really don't have any tools available right now to help them navigate and understand the asylum process. We are building tools that make asylum applications accessible so that applicants can make their best cases in court.

Have you found it difficult to balance running a company and being a student?
It's definitely hard at times, but I think that I'm raising this company in the context of Stanford and all the amazing resources and people here. It has definitely been a privilege, and I also think there has been symbiotic relationship. I feel like I'm in touch with the different aspects of policy here, and what we're solving with Formally -at its core- is a policy problem.

Why did you decide to enroll in the MIP program?
I was actually considering going to law school. My options were law schools, or the MIP program, or a program at Cambridge in International Relations. What really drew me to MIP was the possibility to do interdisciplinary work. Our problems today don't fit into neat categories, and we need to think in an interdisciplinary way to solve them. I have an affinity for tech and tech policy and Stanford felt like a great place to do that work and think creatively about problem solving.

What words would you use to describe your experience in the program so far?
I would use the words drive, passion, and creativity. I'm constantly inspired by my peers, who are doing some really amazing things. I think the MIP program fosters creativity and problem-solving, and really encourages you to go out and explore all of Stanford and all it has to offer. Which has led me to the law school and to the computer science department. Taking advantage of that has been really, really incredible, and MIP has made it really easy for us.

For instance, I took a class taught by Nathaniel Persily and Monica Bickert on internet, free speech and democracy. This has inspired my research on freedom of expression and association online and cemented my passion for digital rights and civil liberties online. 

What has been your favorite experience so far in the MIP program?
It’s been really wonderful overall, but I think I'm most excited about two things: first, the class on free speech and democracy, and I'm also super excited about this new group I’m in which is headed by Marietje Schaake. Marietje is the international policy director at the Cyber Policy Center, and she's an experienced EU legislator and policymaker. She has gathered this interdisciplinary group of people who are interested in tech policy. Right now, we're working on a response to the EU white paper on artificial intelligence. It’s been a really lovely experience.

FSI: What were you doing before you came to Stanford?

JR: I came directly from undergrad and didn't have any full-time work experience. I got my degree in China, but participated in a University of California-San Diego foreign exchange program during my third year. So technically speaking, I spent three years in undergrad in China and one year in the states.

As an undergraduate, I founded a student-run NGO protecting Chinese traditional folk cultures with a focus on handwritten letters, which is the first of its kind in the country. With all kinds of activities, we hope to connect the younger generations in China to their home culture and history. Apart from that, I also worked with the Gates Foundation, the California State Senate, Edelman, and some financial institutions prior to Stanford.

For me, it was a big transition to go from being an undergraduate student to a graduate student. That's what I was most stressed about during my first quarter here. But things calmed down, and I’m a lot less stressed and am really enjoying my studies right now.

Can you talk a little more about what that transition was like for you?

For example, during undergrad, I became really interested in the philanthropy side of business, like impact investing, which is sort of an intersection between the private sector, the business world, and the public world. But I feel like most of the things I did in my undergrad were very straightforward and business-related — like business competitions — and very practical.

And that helped make the transition easier for me, because the MIP program is also very practical in the terms of the training, and its education purpose. But on the other hand, the program forced me to start thinking from a policymaker’s perspective, and to do work that’s very reading- and writing-intensive, which I didn’t do much of during undergrad.

The business cases I would read as an undergraduate were physically around five pages long. But here, I most things we read are 30 or 40 pages. So one of the biggest transitions for me was adjusting to that reading load, which is totally different what I did in undergrad. I also used to attend a lot of business events and take part in business competitions. In graduate school, I’m more likely to stay at home and do the readings and other work for my classes.

What’s the MIP community like?

My classmates are supportive, considerate and helpful. When I was a first year, many second years came to ask me whether I need any help. At the time, I was not used to making friends with people who are seven or eight years older than me, and I was a little nervous. But people at Stanford are just so nice — even though many of my classmates are more experienced than I am, they treat me like an equal. I’m very grateful for my classmates in the MIP program.

Why did you decide to apply to the MIP program, and why did you choose to enroll here over other programs?

I really like that it has a very small cohort. I like that we’re able to have more one-on-one time with professors, and more opportunities to use the resources that Stanford has to offer. I also knew that Stanford is very well known for its engineering school and computer science program, and I was excited to be able to take some classes in those areas in addition to my policy classes. I took a really great course called CS106A, and learned how to program in Python. It was a pretty basic course — compared to what Stanford computer science majors learn — but I really loved it.

And because I was coming from a business background, I also wanted to take more courses that were related to impact investing, finance, and philanthropy. And the Graduate School of Business (GSB) is a great school that offers excellent courses on these topics. Plus it’s right across the street from Encina Hall! I took as many courses at the GSB as I could. One highlight was a class I took on machine learning, and I’ve been able to apply some of the things I learned in that class to the research I’m conducting with Professor Karen Eggleston on how Japan’s robotic development copes with the aging population, and how it impacts elderly-care and health industry.

What are your career goals and have they changed at all since you started at the MIP program?

My long-term goal is to do philanthropy, and that has not changed. Specifically, I want to create my own social enterprise in education, and I’d like to target early childhood education. At the same time, I hope to be able to donate to organizations, initiatives, and programs that I really care about.

One of my short-term goals coming into the program was to have a full-time job working at an international organization or at a foundation. And for my internship last summer, I had the opportunity to work at the World Bank. It was incredible — I had the chance to experience firsthand how international organizations work, how they operate, and what people are doing within the World Bank.

At the same time, I also did a part-time internship with the Paulson Institute, which is an environmental protection foundation with a focus on U.S.-China relations. They’re really on the cutting edge of green finance, which basically means that they’re trying to bring sustainable development to the financial world. On the one hand, we want to use financial tools to solve environmental problems. But on the other hand, we also want to do the finance side in a sustainable way. After taking part in both internships, I decided I’d like to work at a foundation after graduation as another short-term goal.

Is there any advice you’d like to give to future MIP students?
I would encourage students without work experience — who are coming straight from undergrad — to apply! I was a discouraged when I was beginning the application process at age 21 and saw that the average age of the MIP cohorts was 27 to 28 years old. I didn’t think I had a chance to get in, but I did. So if any future students are hesitant to apply because they think they might be too young, I would encourage them to be bold and apply. You never know what could happen!

Wren Elhai is a student in the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy (MIP) program specializing in cyber policy and security. Before coming to Stanford, Wren spent seven years as a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State. He has also worked at the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C. and spent a year studying traditions of vocal music around the world as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow. Wren earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and Russian from Swarthmore College.

FSI: What’s an issue in the realm of cyber policy that you think is under attended to?

WE: One thing I've been working on involves the societies that are using the Internet for the first time and adopting it very rapidly, and also have existing fault lines of conflict or weak governance. I’ve been looking at how the potential harms of technology play out and how those harms can be regulated, either by building more capable governments, by changing the incentives of the tech companies that are producing the products, or by strengthening international institutions and norms. I’ve been thinking about the mechanisms we can employ to ensure that the technology products that we're producing and exporting to the rest of the world don't have really terrible effects in some of those places because they weren't designed for by people who live there.

You have a lot of practical experience with policy and international security — what made you want to pursue a master’s degree?

At the point where I was in my career, I felt that doing another tour in the State Department would be kind of like committing myself to that as a career and saying that my primary focus as a professional would be as a U.S. diplomat. I wasn't certain I was ready to make that commitment. 

On top of that, I've always felt I would go back to graduate school if there were things I could learn in an academic setting that I might not learn in a professional setting. And this was the time to do it.

What about the MIP program felt different to you than other schools you were considering when applying?

At the time, I was deciding between Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School and MIP, and my impression after talking to someone at Princeton and someone here was that this program had a lot more flexibility. Coming out of a long period of working in a pretty structured environment, I felt that I would appreciate the flexibility to decide what I was interested in studying and craft my own path. 

I think a couple of factors made that possible here at Stanford. One is that we’re on a quarter system, so you have the opportunity to take a lot more classes. Within that, there’s the ability to specialize in one area of study, but also take electives that are outside of the core curriculum and that are not necessarily directly connected to your chosen specialization. I’ve really appreciated being able to take a class on ethnomusicology, which is related to some of the things I’ve done before, and I think it was a very valuable class in helping me think about the use of both anthropological research methods and also cultural tools in the conduct of foreign policy and diplomacy. It’s likely not something I would ever have been able to do at another program with more rigid requirements.

Since being here, is there something you’ve found to be unexpected or particularly surprising?

I certainly didn't expect to dive headfirst into cyber policy in the way that I have. But also, the main thing that I didn't quite realize about Stanford is the sort of power and influence that is concentrated here. When we're talking about the role of tech platforms in our elections and when or about the ways to counter online disinformation, there are experts on campus who are heavily involved in those debates in the academic and policy spheres. Then, there’s the people that come to visit campus — it’s a venue for all sorts of things, from discussions on election security and encryption, to panels with the Secretary of State on U.S.-Iran policy. 

I’ve appreciated those opportunities, because it's fun to go to events like that. As a student that's not generally how you spend most of your time and it's not necessarily what you're here for. But for me, going to those sorts of events and listening to who is saying what has been invaluable. In a couple of cases, they led me directly to opportunities to do research and to work with faculty in a non-classroom setting, which I’ve really benefited from.

What’s in the future for you after MIP?

I set out the challenge for myself of finding a job back at the State Department that would let me use some of the things I've been learning here at Stanford. I am taking a job in the office of cyber issues at the State Department. I'll be in charge of public diplomacy around the issue, thinking about how the press or our own social media channels address the complex problems surrounding cybersecurity and state use of technology and how that affects our national security. 

Outside of taking classes in the program, what have you enjoyed working on at Stanford?

Before COVID-19 sent us all online, I was working on putting on a series of events this year with the help of a grant from the Vice Provost for Graduate Education. We looked at the ways people have tried to use music, writing, or film or other forms of art to resolve conflicts. One speaker we invited was an Egyptian ethnomusicologist who brought musicians from 11 countries in the Nile River Basin together to start conversations around conflicts over the use of water in that region of the world. We had a workshop with a performance with the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, an organization that brings Israeli and Palestinian youth together to engage in dialogue and to sing together — trying to model what peaceful coexistence might look like.

Through this effort, I've been able to find some of the other people on campus who share this somewhat disparate set of interests, marrying national security policy with the arts and cultural expression. One of the benefits of being at a university like Stanford is that there are people studying everything you can imagine here. And so, the challenge is not so much that there aren't interesting people around, it’s more about figuring out who is here and how to find them and how to get them to make time in their schedules and to make time in yours to actually come together. 

Gailyn is a student in the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy program (MIP) specializing in governance and development. Before Stanford, she worked in Washington D.C. in international development sector at the Center for Global Development and also on consumer protection issues at the Federal Trade Commission. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College in international relations, and she is originally from Seattle, Washington.

FSI: Have you found the subject of emerging technologies in developing countries to be underlooked when it comes to international policy? 

GP: When I was working in the development space, I found that there were always people working on programs on technology development — it is definitely a big area in the field. But that was never really something I had the opportunity to engage in.

And then I came to Stanford, and through the courses I’ve taken and the conversations I’ve had with professors and mentors here, I quickly realized that extraordinarily interesting and complicated questions lie at the intersection of technology and development  — not only how technology can be used to improve and accelerate development at a micro-level, but also thinking about the very real implications (both positive and negative) of emerging technology on people and their communities.

For example, last summer, I worked on a biometric identification project with the World Bank. It was very much a new project for the World Bank and they were excited about applying this new biometric technology to a project to help overcome one of the largest development challenges they saw in Cote d'Ivoire – the lack of access to forms of identification. 

While I was working on this project, it became clear to me that although there’s great potential for good, there are also a lot of potential negative implications of deploying this type of new emerging technology that were not being considered. 

For me, the evolution of my thinking around technology and development has grown to be less about how to use and deploy technology to improve development outcomes, and more about how we can critically think about these emerging technologies and how they might interact with consumers, particularly in challenging environments around the world. I think that's the most interesting question.

Is there anything you’ve been able to work on while at MIP that has particularly influenced your thinking on these issues or shaped how you approach these issues? 

I took a great class taught by Mariano-Florentino Cuellar in the Law School called “Regulating Artificial Intelligence.” He talked about the ethics of artificial intelligence and rapidly developing technologies, and also their regulation in high-risk sectors like healthcare or transport, for example. That class really shaped my approach to technology ethics and introduced me to so many questions that still need to be explored.

On the other hand, there’s the governance and development field. And with regards to that, something that I’ve really enjoyed working on this quarter has been my capstone project for the MIP program. I’m looking at Internet shutdowns in Cameroon — it’s a huge issue because Internet shutdowns are an example of how authoritarian governments use control over the Internet as a tool to further their own goals. And, it’s understudied because the international community doesn’t really know how to respond to the phenomenon of shutdowns, and it’s challenging to track and monitor. There are a lot of amazing activists doing really challenging work in this space, but less so a focus from the world of academia. 

It’s really the perfect intersection for me and has given me the opportunity to combine my interests in political and economic development with technology. 

Why did you choose the MIP program?

I was looking at a lot of different options, but I narrowed it down to Stanford — I think it ultimately came down to it being a smaller, more attentive program. My thinking was, “If I'm going to go back and pay for a master's program, I want to be in one where I feel like I can get personalized and individualized attention when I need it.” I wanted access to administration and program leaders if I’d have any issues, and a program where I would be able to form close personal relationships with professors. 

On top of that, I was born and raised in Seattle and went to college outside of Los Angeles, so I was also looking for a policy program on the West Coast if I could make it work. 

For me, Stanford fit all of those criteria. I just can't imagine going to a 200-person program and getting the opportunity to work for Larry Diamond, the top scholar on democracy and development, Jeremy Weinstein, who has paved the way on political economy and development research in Africa, or Marietje Schaake, a leading thinker in emerging technology, governance, and the rule of law.

How have the mentors and professors you’ve met here influenced your work and approach to your studies? 

The work I’ve been able to do with them has been really rewarding – and it has allowed me to both pursue and deepen my thinking on different elements of my interests in technology, governance, and development. Jeremy is my advisor, and along with my classmate Rosanna Kim, we worked on a project on the intersecting challenges of humanitarian response, conflict, and migration. Jeremy has challenged me in the best way –and I’ve learned from him how to develop policy recommendations that strike the right balance between ambition and reality and how to be more precise in my policy writing. 

For my work with Larry, I’ve been helping him track democracy trends around the world including elections and electoral backslide, democratic resurgence among various regimes. And that has been an incredible opportunity because I get to meet every week with one of the top democracy scholars in the world and support him on his unique research.

Recently, I’ve started working with Marietje, particularly focusing on her work on AI and governance. It has really deepened my thinking on linking these questions of emerging technology to principles in democracy and the rule of law and has introduced me to many new debates on these issues. I am also really inspired by her inclusive leadership style and the time she takes to mentor so many students at Stanford – and I aspire to have a similar leadership style one day.

What does the future look like for you after the MIP program? 

If I was to outline my ideal job post-graduation, it would be to be thinking about those questions surrounding the ethics of emerging technologies in developing countries, the implications of delivering and deploying these technologies too quickly, and how they can be best developed to be tailored to these local contexts. 

What’s something that surprised you about the MIP program? 

I knew I wanted to come back to grad school to get an education and to at least build a professional network — I was kind of expecting to come back, put my head down for a couple years and get my degree. 

But I have ended up coming away with really close friendships with most of the individuals in my program, and that is something that really surprised me. It’s a super collaborative, accepting environment, and I was expecting it to be much more competitive than it is. We all really support each other, help each other out through growing pains of the program, including difficult statistical classes. We all have each other's backs and have gotten to know each other on a personal level, and I think that is something that you get with a really small cohort.

Another thing that has surprised me is that, after hearing about everyone's passions, despite the fact that a lot of people in the program have interests in the cyber field, every single person still has their own niche and specialty. That is really cool.