Gaining Deeper Insights Into Political Decision-Making

Rebecca Rashid
Strategic Studies, MA ’20

Prior to attending Johns Hopkins SAIS, Rebecca worked for MSNBC’s news program All In with Chris Hayes, where she and her news team won an Emmy! Hoping to bolster her credibility as a journalist with more substantive political knowledge, she chose to attend Johns Hopkins SAIS after hearing about the sheer academic rigor of the program.

Now in her second semester at the school, Rebecca is looking forward to further expanding her knowledge base and dabbling in different departments such as taking a quantitative class with the Energy, Resources and Environment program, as well as a Global Theory class.

Through her studies, Rebecca has learned to value not only the importance of local politics, but also the imperative of common values and grassroots community building in effective political decision making. In everything from civil-military relations to effective negotiation, she has found that plenty of common ground remains although the public discourse has become stifled.

Additionally, Rebecca has found the school’s community to be unparalleled in its dedication to public service. Regardless of each student’s professional ambitions, the energy she has felt from her peers is innovative and reassuring in the current political era. She feels similarly about the faculty who are not only seasoned practitioners, but also challenge students to expand their purview.

After graduation, Rebecca hopes to continue to practice journalism and promote journalistic ethics.