Master of International Affairs student Heather Foye discusses her experience in the Marxe School’s Washington Semester, including her D.C. internship at the Arms Control Association, her chosen concentration of national security, and more.

Tell us about your internship in D.C. at the Arms Control Association.
This fall I was the nuclear policy intern at the Arms Control Association in Washington, DC as part of The Washington Semester program. The Arms Control Association, founded in 1971, is a national nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to promoting public understanding of and support for effective arms control policies. Through their public education and media programs and flagship journal, Arms Control Today, they provide policymakers, the press, and the public with information, analysis, and commentary on arms control and related national security issues.

I worked on various projects during my internship, including updating fact sheets, following relevant UN meetings and resolutions, and copy editing Arms Control Today. I also authored a few news stories for Arms Control Today including on North Korea’s increasing ballistic missile tests and developments with India’s defense fleet. Given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the ongoing war, it’s an important time to be thinking about issues of arms control, nonproliferation, and national security, and I feel I learned a great deal during my internship. The staff at my internship also actively included me in events inside and outside the office, so I was able to attend meetings and conferences in DC featuring political, academic, and think tank leaders in the field.

What other elements of The Washington Semester did you find enjoyable or enriching?
I enjoyed all aspects of The Washington Semester. I found the coursework focused on how policy is made at the federal level, both domestic and foreign policy, to be both challenging and enriching. I also appreciated hearing from the weekly guest speakers who came from a variety of fields. Hearing how their various careers unfolded as journalists, nonprofit leaders, lobbyists, and government officials was insightful as I think about next steps after graduation this spring. Our cohort also participated in activities together outside class including museum visits and cultural events. I also enjoyed spending time and getting to know my classmates, as we all had very different backgrounds and interests that brought us to The Washington Semester. The chance to spend a few months living and interning in DC allowed me to experience life in a new city, network with people in my field, and visit cultural and historical sites of significance. Overall, it was a great semester!

What drew you to the Master of International Affairs program’s Special Concentration in National Security? What’s your biggest takeaway thus far?
I was drawn to a pursue a special concentration in national security because it’s a policy area that has long interested me. In foreign policy, I have always been drawn to learning about how the U.S. relates to its adversaries, such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, and how policies are created to protect U.S. national security.

I taught English for a year in Shenyang, China through a Princeton in Asia fellowship a few years ago, and during my vacation time I was fortunate to travel throughout Japan. I visited Hiroshima, one of the cities where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb to end World War II, which was the first time I really reflected on the matter of nuclear weapons. Visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which documents the destruction from the atomic bomb, and learning about the lives lost, destruction to the city, and long-lasting consequences of dropping the bomb, was both devastating and thought-provoking. The U.S. was the first country to make a nuclear weapon, but there are now eight other countries said to possess them. Interning at the Arms Control Association and learning more about the proliferation of nuclear weapons and other arms control issues confirmed my interest in national security. My biggest takeaway is that the U.S. must remain the only country to use a nuclear weapon, but that the risk of an accident or mishap occurring as these weapons proliferate is a growing concern in 2023.

Any favorite classes or professors thus far?
I started Marxe during fall 2020, so most of my classes so far have been online. Therefore, I enjoyed my in-person classes last fall during The Washington Semester. In Intergovernmental Relations with Professor Sonia Jarvis, we discussed the various branches of government and how they have interacted throughout history and how they currently interact. Given Professor Jarvis’ background in law, it was especially fascinating to learn more about the history of the Supreme Court. We also benefited from being in DC for the midterm elections, which led to some interesting discussions.

In “Who Makes Policy?” with Professor Carla Robbins, we discussed the various players that contribute to shaping policy in DC. Each student was assigned a role in the White House to follow a current policy issue and update the class weekly with new developments on our topic. I was assigned the role of Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia at the National Security Council, so naturally my topic area had constant developments given Russia’s war in Ukraine. I enjoyed hearing updates from my classmates on their topic areas and the discussions that unfolded from this White House exercise.