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T’Errance Favors, MIA 2009: International Security Policy
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T’Errance Favors, from Denver, Colorado, worked as a high school Spanish teacher before coming to SIPA. He says he wanted to shift his career toward public service with an international focus. “When I looked at schools, I knew that I wanted to live in either New York or Washington, DC, because they are hubs for international affairs and public service. SIPA was my top choice because of the flexibility and variety of courses, the focus on professional skills and knowledge, and of course the fact that it is a highly regarded International Affairs program.”(flashplayer)
Tell us about your internship experience.
I had a summer internship at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala. I worked in the embassy’s Public Affairs Section, which allowed me to have extensive contact with the local population. The Public Affairs Section works to promote mutual understanding between the United States and the host country through educational and cultural programs.
Two of the most meaningful projects I worked on were assisting with the planning of a youth leadership conference for students from indigenous backgrounds and also debriefing and reporting on returned participants of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). Meeting with the IVLP participants allowed me to learn about a number of issues the people of Guatemala are facing through the conversation I had with people who worked in a variety field from civil society to government.
What has been the most challenging part of your SIPA experience?
My undergraduate degree is in Spanish Education and I don’t really consider myself to be really inclined to quantitative subjects. I found the quantitative requirements in the core curriculum, like economics and statistics, to be pretty challenging. I feel like the math review camp offered at orientation and the recitations led by the teaching assistants were quite helpful in helping me survive.
Can you comment specifically on some exciting things about your concentration?
The International Security Policy concentration is exciting for a number of reasons. What I like best is the number of teaching practitioners involved in the concentration. I have taken classes with professors who are active military, leading researchers at think tanks and former ambassadors. Each of these individuals was able to provide us with current applications of the content of their course. When I compare these classes to others that are more theoretical, there just seems to be a certain level of added value when the topics you are studying can be connected directly to issues that are current. This is especially true when the lessons come from current experts actively working in the field.
Have you taken classes at other Columbia schools?
I have taken a couple of history classes and an anthropology course through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. I have found the ability to take courses offered through other Columbia schools to be vey rewarding because it increases the availability of courses and in my experience they have been smaller courses taught by distinguished faculty members. On one level these classes make me feel more connected to the university as a whole, but the courses are also thought provoking and challenge me to think about issues from a different perspective. Having these other courses available is another great advantage I’ve found studying at SIPA.