Gaining Career Insights Through Study Trips

Tyler Lee
MA ’18
International Law & Organizations
First Year: SAIS Europe

As an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, Tyler was quite familiar with the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He is a firm believer in the school’s interdisciplinary approach to international relations. The joint BA/MA program was the ideal way to accelerate and enhance his studies. In order to better understand international relations, it is important to experience life abroad and he has taken full advantage of the opportunity to study in Bologna at SAIS Europe and gain a new outlook on the world.

Tyler recently organized and led a group of students on a study trip to The Hague, where they observed proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), as well as visited Eurojust, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), and the Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law (HiiL). Students also gained a better understanding of how international organizations function and what a career in international organizations might be like. It was particularly interesting to visit ICTY after having participated in the study trip to Sarajevo, run by the Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development (CCSDD). These study trips provide a good opportunity to survey the field and they helped Tyler to determine which of his interests he wished to further pursue.

Tyler currently does research at the CCSDD on the legal challenges to Brexit. Inspired by a passion for technology and an amazing course titled “Science and Technology in International Affairs” taught by Professor Kenneth Keller, Tyler hopes to one day work on technology policy.