Jeffrey Camille
Global Studies Major, International Affairs, Class of 2025
1. What are you doing now?
I’m a second-year graduate student at Johns Hopkins University SAIS, completing a master’s in international relations. I attend graduate school as a Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellow of the U.S. Department of State.
2. What has your journey been like since graduating from WashU?
Since graduating from WashU, I moved to Bologna, Italy, to complete the first year of my master’s program at the European campus of Johns Hopkins University SAIS. There, in addition to my studies, I worked as a research assistant in global environmental politics and published two academic papers. I then spent last summer working as a foreign affairs fellow for the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. Congress.
3. How has studying Global Studies influenced your current work, interests, or path?
Majoring in Global Studies helped me discover and explore my interest in research production, where I gained valuable skills such as data analysis and public speaking that I use today in both my academic and professional work.
4. Was there a particular class, professor, experience, project, or opportunity in Global Studies that has stayed with you?
Dr. Amy Heath-Carpentier, especially through her course Gender Analysis for International Affairs and mentorship of my senior honors thesis, was a pivotal figure in my success as a Global Studies major. She gave me space to critically develop my interest in global women’s issues and gender more broadly, while treating me as a serious student and producer of knowledge. I carry much of what she taught me today.
5. What is one piece of advice you would give to current or future Global Studies students?
Pursue your interests incessantly, for those interests will grant you forward motion towards the very best version of yourself.
Omaer Naeem
Global Studies Major, International Affairs, Class of 2024
1. What are you doing now?
I am a Program Associate at the Aspen Institute’s Education and Society Program (ESP), where I manage our youth engagement strategy. ESP convenes national, state, local, and youth leaders to make sense make, build coalitions, and drive domestic education system transformation. I lead structured youth participation frameworks, manage multi-stakeholder initiatives, and synthesize education policy trends and practitioner insights into briefs and memos that shape program strategy. My work is grounded in a commitment to designing accountable, repeatable systems that center young people in policy and decision-making.
2. What has your journey been like since graduating from WashU?
After graduating, I moved back home to the DMV and began a fellowship at a DC think tank focusing on South Asian nuclear nonproliferation between Pakistan and India. I had little formal training in security, but quickly learned how vitally important the work was, particularly as the 2025 India-Pakistan crisis unfolded. My main focus was developing accessible online courses for students in the region to develop the next generation of strategic thinkers. I left the fellowship to pursue a role with the Aspen Institute, where I could work on broader systems-level change.
3. How has studying Global Studies influenced your current work, interests, or path?
Participating in the Global Studies program at WashU critically informed historical & global antecedents to the issues that I am passionate about. Given the diversity of offerings of the program, I was able to uniquely craft my academic experience along a regional and thematic focus; South Asia and identity construction. Those focuses continue to inform my approach to my work in ways I discover by the day.
4. Was there a particular class, professor, experience, project, or opportunity in Global Studies that has stayed with you?
Dr. Shefali Chandra, my undergraduate thesis advisor, and dear friend, transformed my life. I reflected, contextualized, and complicated my identity and experiences through their courses Doctors and Terrorists and The Meaning of Pakistan. The questions Dr. Chandra prompted me to ask are ones that I continue to ask of myself and those in my communities.
5. What is one piece of advice you would give to current or future Global Studies students?
I strongly recommend pursuing independent academic research. Identify a theme or a question under the guidance of a trusted professor and leverage the abundant resources WashU and the GS department offer to try answering it. My journey continuously inspired me, even if the conclusions I drew were not what I wanted.
6. Is there anything else you would like us to know or highlight about your journey?
WashU and St. Louis have so many opportunities and every one of them has an opportunity cost. Before you commit to something, genuinely ask why you’re willing to commit, and what you risk in doing so.
Jessie Wills
Global Studies Major, Development, Class of 2024
1. What are you doing now?
I am about to start working in production and product development at imogene + willie, an apparel brand based in Nashville that produces 100% of its products in the U.S.
2. What has your journey been like since graduating from WashU?
My journey since graduating in 2024 has been very winding and unexpected! Right after graduation, I got a job as a program assistant at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. I mainly supported a project in Nigeria, where we were doing social-behavioral communications work to mitigate violence and corruption. That job ended after 10 months due to funding cuts to USAID and the Department of State. I decided to take the layoff as an opportunity to pursue something I’d always wanted to do: go solo traveling. So, I worked at a restaurant in D.C. for six months to save money, and then I embarked on an eight-month trip through South America.
My trip was fantastic, and I grew so much in my confidence, Spanish skills, and ability to navigate any situation. I highly recommend solo traveling to any young person, particularly Global Studies types who love exploring other places and cultures. On my trip, I had the time and space to consider what’s next, and for me, that is going into the fashion industry. While that seems like a 180 from international development, it isn’t for me. I used my Global Studies thesis to study the social & environmental impacts of fashion, and I also minored in fashion design. I realized it was time to take the leap and dive into something more creative, while also working for a brand that aligns with my values. I’m starting this new chapter with imogene + willie in a co-op role with production & product development. My goal down the line is to use my industry experience to change it for the better.
3. How has studying Global Studies influenced your current work, interests, or path?
Global Studies gave me both the breadth and depth I was looking for in my college education. I took informative classes on development theory, global health, and anthropology, and I also was able to dive deep on a topic of interest through the honors thesis. I found that my global studies courses often complemented my other courses in my minors (design and business of social impact), giving me a well-rounded and interdisciplinary education. I particularly remember one semester where I’d go directly from my critical development theory class to my management 100 class and feel some whiplash at the contrasting approaches towards capitalism & economic growth. I appreciated the different perspectives! Now, I see how my education has provided me a foundation upon which to build my own values, while also allowing me to gain specialized knowledge in one topic through the thesis (more below).
4. Was there a particular class, professor, experience, project, or opportunity in Global Studies that has stayed with you?
My thesis was the most impactful experience from Global Studies, and really my entire academic experience at WashU. I wrote my thesis on labor standards in garment factories in Lesotho, and I was even able to go to Lesotho and interview union leaders, workers, and nonprofit stakeholders with partial funding by WashU. The process of working with an advisor (mine was the great Andy Sobel), defining a research question, getting IRB approval, applying for funding, managing a budget, talking to real people, and synthesizing new information into a piece of research allowed me to grow so much. I grew in my confidence talking to strangers across language barriers, pushing the limit on what’s possible within time/money constraints, and speaking with authority on a topic that I, in the end, knew a lot about. My thesis has definitely been the experience I’ve talked most about in job interviews, and I think it has set me apart from other candidates.
I will also add that my study abroad experience set me up well to write a thesis. I studied abroad in Switzerland with SIT on the Global Health & Development Policy program in my junior spring. SIT programs are heavily research focused and culminate with a pretty big capstone paper. I wrote mine on international regulatory standards in global fashion supply chains, and this research gave me a launching point from which to define my more specific thesis question.
5. What is one piece of advice you would give to current or future Global Studies students?
Take advantage of the resources available to you. Talk to professors about your interests, apply for funding, and take initiative in defining your path. I think that the Global Studies program is best for those who take this initiative, because otherwise it’s easy to get lost in the variety of concentrations, course offerings, and study abroad opportunities.
6. Is there anything else you would like us to know or highlight about your journey?
I want to emphasize that the journey during and after college is extremely nonlinear, and there are many good paths to take. For example, I tried for two years to get a fellowship to work or teach abroad for a year, and it never panned out. But because of that, I’ve had such formative experiences traveling to Nigeria for my nonprofit, solo traveling in South America, and now pursuing work in a new industry with a company that feels very aligned with who I am and how I operate.