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ISS Student Spotlight | Catherine Baker

Tuesday

Meet ISS Student, Catherine Baker

A picture of Catherine and her partner posing on a mountainside with pine trees and clouds in the background
  1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to pursue a graduate degree in International Security Studies.
    Hi, my name is Catherine Baker and I am not afraid of conflict. My career started in international non-profits, then shifted to leader formation, a sector I still find myself in now as the Assistant Director of a K-12 school. I have been pursuing a graduate degree in International Security Studies at the University of Arizona because I want to exact peace at an international level. 
     
  2. Can you share a research topic, project, or class that has been particularly meaningful or challenging for you so far?
    I immensely enjoyed these classes in the ISS program: Psychology of Group Conflict, Strategic Non-Violent Conflict, Russian Foreign Policy, American Foreign Policy, and Immigration. 
     
  3. What skills or lessons have you gained through the ISS program, and how have these experiences shaped your personal and professional goals?
    In Strategic Non-Violent Conflict class, I savored learning about peacemakers throughout history who changed the world without a shot fired. We must not forget this legacy as humans. In Psychology of Group Conflict, the pattern of reconciliation in Ireland after The Troubles is a pattern we all can follow in equalizing the seesaw of violence stemming from conflict, rooted in the human emotion of disgust. 
     
  4. What advice would you give to new ISS students about getting the most out of the program?
    Try to connect with your professors. Being an asynchronized program is part of the ISS strength, however, sometimes it can feel lonely. Reach out directly to professors. If you're local or in town, they are willing to meet with you and it adds color to their teaching to sit with them in a room and hear more about their drive in teaching.