Gaining a Career-Building Edge

Yubin Huh
Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) '21
 
Prior to attending SAIS, Yubin had the chance to participate in the Model United Nations in high school and that became his keystone to study international relations. Studying international relations has been his greatest passion as he lived in Australia and Germany when he was growing up and was able to interact with different people around the world. As a young Korean who lived in various places and wanted to work for international institutions, SAIS was Yubin’s top choice to further his career. He also wanted to study more in economics and quantitative courses which he was not able to obtain as an undergraduate. Furthermore, having lived in Washington DC for a while, Yubin was familiar with SAIS’ abundant alumni network, as well as its great academic programs.
 
After enrolling as a student at SAIS, one of Yubin’s top experiences was having the opportunity to attend a Think Tank Trek in Washington DC. From this experience, in addition to other career treks, he learned profoundly on how to adapt professionally to the changing global environment. More essentially, Yubin was able to fine-tune his social networking skills. By interacting with different people at SAIS, where everyone he encountered was so enthusiastic to learn from each other, Yubin understood the importance of being open, which he considers to be one of the most important skills he learned as a student. Overall, Yubin feels that SAIS truly has a great educational environment for students to enrich themselves. 
 
During his studies, Yubin also had the privilege to serve as the President of the student-run International Relations Council. The organization was formed with the intention to better connect students with faculty members. In his role, Yubin contributed to hosting events such as the Think Tank Trek, coffee talks with professors, and discussions on the Belarus protest. These experiences enabled Yubin to engage with diverse world issues and expand his knowledge. Although, Yubin can’t deny the fact that Covid-19 altered some of his and his colleagues’ plans, despite its challenges, they were able to interact with many people. Due to the pandemic, Yubin was piqued by the changing global system and economy and studied deeper into nationalism and political economy. Overall, as a Korean international student, having these opportunities were invaluable as Yubin was able expand his network.
 
After graduating from SAIS, Yubin plans to focus on economics and research. By attending SAIS, his interests in trade economics and political economy have piqued greatly and he wishes to continue on that track after graduation. In the future, he hopes to pursue PhD degree in international political economy and public policy, and later a career with an international institution.
 
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