August 2024 Student Spotlight
In this month’s student spotlight Owen Mairení Daniel Sanchez talks about what drew him to pursue a Master of International Affairs degree with a focus in global security, his trip to Taiwan, what made him want to become a Boren Fellow, and more.
How did you become an activist? Your MIA focus is global security. What drew you to that area of study?
I wanted to focus in global security studies because it is very relevant in today’s world. There are many jobs in the federal government where knowledge on security-related studies is needed.
Tell us about your trip to Taiwan
I am currently in Taiwan studying Mandarin. It has been a great experience so far studying the language and the culture. It has been very interesting asking Taiwanese people three things that they love and three things that they do not like about Taiwan. I will also be able to witness the presidential election which will have a significant impact on Taiwan’s future in the diplomatic space.
What have been some of the answers you’ve heard from Taiwanese people on the things they love and don’t like about Taiwan?
Most of the answers I got from Taiwanese people when asking them about Taiwan’s positives are about food, safety, nice people, and cleanliness of the cities. On the negative side I would often hear about economic-related issues such as housing prices and low wages.
What was your internship at the State Department in the Summer of 2023 like?
I interned in the office of Multilateral Affairs within the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs for ten weeks. The experience was great, although I did suffer from imposter syndrome most of the time. I met amazing public servants who put in endless amounts of hours to support the Secretary of State’s mission to advance the U.S.’s priorities in respect to policy and international relations. The most interesting thing about interning at the State Department is the various ways that the State department hires. I worked alongside civil service employees, foreign service officers, and contractors. I had the privilege to be included in interesting projects and got to see the processes of how official meetings with various stakeholders are conducted. I could definitely see myself working for the State Department in the future.
What made you want to become a Boren Fellow?
By the time I graduated with a bachelors in corporate communications in 2019 I completed an internship with the UN Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, and another internship at the Permanent Mission of El Salvador to the UN. These internships introduced me to the world of international affairs. I enjoyed being in an environment where people from different parts of the world collaborated in a multilinguistic way to resolve issues affecting humanity. It is also where I became more familiar with UN Member State missions, which are basically government representations at the United Nations. Because the United States provided me with a plethora of academic life changing opportunities, I wanted to explore U.S. federal service through an international affairs lens. This led me to my current Master’s in International Affairs at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs. From the start I looked for opportunities and pathways to enter the federal service, which is why I came across the Boren Fellowship. The Boren Fellowship in my eyes was perfect because it would provide financial support to learn a language that is deemed critical by U.S. national security — and in exchange I would have to serve in the federal government for at least a year. In addition, Boren Fellows get non-competitive eligibility for federal positions for a limited time.
