Advancing My Career

Alexis Corn
MAIR '21
Recipient of the C. Grove Haines Prize
 
Q: What encouraged you to apply to Johns Hopkins SAIS?
 
A: I applied to Johns Hopkins SAIS for two reasons. First, I wanted to pivot my career, which had been primarily focused on the defense appropriations and authorization processes within the private sector, to public service. I was inspired by former and current civil servants’ sense of mission and hoped that one day I too could find a career with those qualities. Second, I had increasingly become interested in the interplay between economics and nation state stability and security. When I began to research master’s programs to pursue a career within this nexus, Johns Hopkins SAIS, with its dual focus on international economics and international policy, seemed like a natural fit.
 
Q: What was one of your favorite moments during your first year of graduate study?
 
A: My favorite moment at SAIS Europe was traveling with my classmates to Vienna, Austria. There we toured around the city on a private tour offered by the school, ice-skated at the Rathaus and attended the Vienna Ball of Sciences.
 
Q: Could you please tell us about your experience upon being awarded the C. Grove Haines Prize?
 
A: The Grove Haines Prize is awarded for the best thesis or thesis-length study project or best student paper in one of three subjects at SAIS Europe. I was awarded the Grove Haines Prize in international economics for my paper that examined how ECB collateral rules affected sovereign debt markets in Greece, Cyprus, and, Ireland before and during the financial and sovereign debt crises beginning in 2008. It was an honor to receive the award and I appreciated the opportunity to be recognized for my work.
 
Q: Could you please tell us about your current internship?
 
A: I am an intern at the US Department of Treasury, where I help cover US interactions with multilateral organizations and international financial institutions. I have had the opportunity to get first-hand experience of the day-to-day work of a department and how the department advances US policy priorities abroad.
 
Q: What do you hope to do with your degree after you graduate?
 
A: After graduation, I intend to pursue a career in the federal government where I can work as an economist or policy analyst. 
 
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