Students traveled to San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C., to meet with alumni and learn about the variety of career paths available to them
When the weather is nice all year round like it is in Southern California, students are more willing to use their hard-earned vacation time on more professional pursuits. So, knowing that they had the sun waiting for them back at school, a cohort of students from the University of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) traveled to San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and New York City to meet with GPS alumni and other leaders working across numerous sectors.
In the Bay Area, students visited organizations focused on promoting economic wellbeing throughout the world, including the Asia Foundation and the World Economic Forum. They also visited the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where they saw how a premier research-and-development facility benefits from hiring graduates who have a rigorous background in international affairs and public policy — which includes GPSers.
Students who visited the nation’s capital had the opportunity to talk with representatives of elite think tanks, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Center for Global Development. Naturally, they also made stops at some of the most influential government locations in the world, including the U.S. State Department’s offices and the Pentagon.
New York also provided a setting for students to meet with government and diplomatic officials at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and the U.N.’s refugee agency. In addition, they got to see some of Google’s offices in the city.
“Experiencing the impact of their work, the passion for the work that they do, how GPS prepared them and the skills they continue to use to this day — all of that was so cool to see with our own eyes.”
“The alumni and other employees who hosted us were all kind and welcoming,” said Rio Namegaya, a Master of Public Policy ’26 candidate, who went on the trip to the East Coast. “Not only did they give us specific information about organizations, but they also gave us tips about how to network in the industry, become a great policy researcher and succeed in interviews.”
Kelly Lim, a career coach at GPS’ Career and Professional Development Center, mentioned that the visits themselves to the different companies, nonprofits and think tanks were not the only things that made the trips worthwhile; students also gained valuable professional skills by essentially planning the trips and communicating with GPS alumni themselves.
“Students did the initial legwork requesting a visit, coordinating logistics and leading the in-person visits,” she said. “They got a glimpse into what it would be like to work at these companies, and now they have a fellow GPSer they can reach out to.”
The trips were valuable for helping current students learn about the specific career opportunities that they could pursue, and it was also a chance to see how a degree from GPS has equipped alumni with the tools they need to succeed across a variety of disciplines.
“Experiencing the impact of their work, the passion for the work that they do, how GPS prepared them and the skills they continue to use to this day — all of that was so cool to see with our own eyes,” Lim said.
To view photos from the trips, readers can tap on the album below (on mobile) or hover their cursor over the album (on desktop).
