September 2026 Alumni Spotlight

Ashley Quinonez, Master of International Affairs ’26

What made you choose the Marxe School for your graduate education?
Pursuing a master’s degree had always been part of my plan, but by my senior year at NYU, I had a much clearer sense of what I wanted from a graduate program. I still remember reading through the MIA program webpage when I came across the Washington Semester opportunity – it immediately caught my attention because it showed me that Marxe valued professional development just as much as academic growth. As I kept reading, I realized that the same philosophy extended through the curriculum; it emphasized practical, career-ready skills while giving students the support to pursue opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. Once I reached the bottom of the page, I was confident Marxe was the place where I could make the most of my graduate experience.

What aspects of the Marxe experience had the greatest impact on your academic and professional growth?
Without question, the Washington Semester Program had the greatest impact on both my academic and professional growth. As I mentioned in my previous answer, the opportunity was one of the reasons I chose Marxe in the first place. When I enrolled, I made it a personal goal to participate in it because I knew it would help me take my first step into the policy world.

Before moving to Washington, D.C., I had very little professional experience. Through the Washington Semester, I interned at the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies, a Department of Defense regional center, where I contributed to research and international security programs. It was surreal to move from discussing international problems in the classroom to watching those same issues debated by the policymakers and experts working on them every day. As valuable as my coursework had been, there is simply no substitute for experiencing firsthand how policy discussions unfold beyond the classroom. The experience gave me a much clearer understanding of how the policy world operates, and with it, the confidence to pursue a career in the field.

What made the Washington Semester so transformative, though, went far beyond the internship itself. Living in Washington, D.C., while balancing full-time work, graduate coursework, and professional development pushed me well outside my comfort zone. One thing I always find funny is that before heading to D.C., I didn’t even have a LinkedIn profile, and networking felt intimidating. By the end of the semester, I had developed an elevator pitch I could adapt on the spot and felt much more confident introducing myself to professionals. And now, I find myself scrolling through LinkedIn almost every day.

Just as importantly, I formed close friendships with members of my cohort. We continue to support one another and celebrate each other’s progress – having that community has remained one of the most meaningful parts of the Washington Semester.

Were there any faculty members, courses, or experiences that especially influenced your career?
Dr. Carla Robbins has had one of the greatest influences on my career. I had the privilege of taking two of her courses, including U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security, which features a crisis simulation that immerses students in how the National Security Council’s Principals Committee responds to U.S. foreign policy crises. Participating in that simulation solidified my interest in national security and confirmed that it was the field I wanted to pursue.

During the Washington Semester, I had the opportunity to take another course with Dr. Robbins, where she also became one of my mentors. Like so many members of the Marxe faculty, she is deeply invested in her students and genuinely wants to see them succeed. She never settled for “good enough”– every policy memo came back with detailed feedback that pushed me to write clearly, concisely, and with purpose, skills I continue to rely on every day in my current role.

I also have to give a shout-out to the Marxe Career Services, especially Samantha Pardo. She was always willing to hop on a Zoom call to review my resume or send me opportunities she thought were a good fit based on previous conversations. She was one of my biggest supporters throughout graduate school, and it was actually through the Marxe Career Services’ internship listings that I found my current role at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.

While I’ve highlighted just a few people, they’re representative of the kind of support I found throughout my time at Marxe. There were so many faculty members, mentors, and experiences that shaped both my academic and professional journey, and I’m deeply grateful for the community that helped me grow.

What has been your proudest professional accomplishment since graduating?
My proudest professional accomplishment has been transitioning from policy intern to Program Assistant at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP). I first joined NCAFP after returning from the Washington Semester, and after my experience at the NESA Center, I realized how much I enjoyed international programming. I knew I wanted to continue building a career in that space.

I’m grateful that my internship grew into a full-time role because it allows me to continue working with a team and mission that I admire. NCAFP is dedicated to advancing dialogue and conflict resolution through Track 1.5 and Track II diplomacy. As a small team, we all wear many hats, which has given me the opportunity to contribute at every stage of our conferences. At a time when dialogue has become more limited, watching months of planning culminate in meaningful discussions between experts and policymakers has been one of the most rewarding parts of my work.

What was the focus of your PELTA-winning project, and what problem were you trying to address?
My project explored the growing role of generative AI in women’s healthcare, using Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), now renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), as a case study. The idea grew out of my own journey navigating health-related questions and trying to make sense of the information available to patients, which made me curious about how other women were navigating similar challenges.

As I spent more time reading women’s health forums and online communities, I noticed the same pattern repeatedly: many women with PMOS were turning to large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT after leaving medical appointments with unanswered questions. That observation led me to ask a broader policy question: What happens when patients begin relying on AI to fill gaps left by the healthcare system?

Rather than approaching AI as either inherently good or bad, I wanted to examine what its growing use revealed about the healthcare system itself. Ultimately, my project argued that patients’ growing reliance on AI reflects deeper structural challenges in care, particularly the chronic under-investment in women’s health that continues to leave many patients searching for answers on their own.

What is one key insight or conclusion from your project that you think policymakers or the public should understand about AI?
My biggest takeaway is that policymakers need to go back to the drawing board. While making AI safer is an important conversation, it shouldn’t come at the expense of asking a more fundamental question: Why are so many women turning to AI in the first place? The growing reliance on tools like ChatGPT reflects longstanding shortcomings in women’s healthcare, from chronic under-investment in research to a lack of personalized guidance for patients. Otherwise, we’re asking AI to compensate for systemic issues that only healthcare policy can address.