Rachel Hunter

2019 Newman Family Scholarship Recipient

My name is Rachel Hunter and I am a junior majoring in International Studies with a focus on Global Security and certificates in Global Health and African Studies. I knew I wanted to major in International Studies before I came to UW–Madison due to my involvement in Model United Nations. Over the past six years, Model United Nations has been a formative part of my life in both high school and college. I enjoy representing a wide variety of countries and navigating around nations’ different wishes, cultural practices, and resources. My favorite committees involved human rights, conflict, and migration so a focus on Global Security felt like a natural fit.

My commitment to the International Studies major has only been solidified during my time at Madison. Through Madison’s Model United Nations team, I have been able to attend conferences in Chicago, Montreal, and at Harvard. I greatly enjoy working with other passionate students from around the world to create creative resolutions that tackle complex and ever-changing issues. Last semester I was also able to participate in the Wisconsin in Washington program, where I interned at the State Department in the International Organization Affairs Bureau. My time at State was unique because the office I was originally assigned to received word that it was going to be dissolved which subsequently gave me the opportunity to experience three different offices and gain practical experience on a variety of foreign policy topics.

This summer, I will be spending the first two weeks of June in a study abroad program called the UW Global Health and Human Rights Training in Spain and Morocco to Combat Sex-Trafficking. We will be working with survivors and different organizations to address human trafficking in a transit and destination country. After I finish the program I will spend two weeks traveling before I head to Peru for an eight week internship in Lima at the United States embassy in Peru. I will be working in the Executive Office as a staff assistant to the ambassador. I am incredibly excited to participate in these programs and gain new perspectives because I believe that an in-depth understanding of the international community can only come from practical experiences in the field and exposure to new people, cultures, and ideas.

After I graduate, I would like to work for a non-profit or non-governmental organization overseas for a couple of years on human rights issues like gender-based violence and human trafficking. I hope to use this time overseas to decide on a focus for graduate school as I would like to obtain a master’s degree. Ideally, I would also love to end up at the State Department or USAID one day.