Annual Review: Where am I going? Post-Graduation, Summer 2023 Edition

On the 26th of May 2023, I walked across the stage to receive my B.A. in Government from Cornell. As I looked across the field of families present to support their loved ones, I caught a glimpse of my mother tearing up as she watched me accomplish the very thing she came to the United States for. Even though I may never fully understand what she felt, that moment really impressed upon me how one’s success never belongs to just them. As I walked across that stage, behind each step trailed twenty years of immigration battles, hopping around low-paying jobs, and stress over what our next meal was going to be. I’ll never forget how she ran through the crowd afterwards and embraced me. Even though she deserved a thousand words of gratitude and more from me, the only two I was able to choke up at that moment was “Gracias, ma.”

This year’s annual review is special because I get to bore you with the classic reflections on my time as an undergraduate! In preservation of your attention and well-being, as I know how repetitious it can be to read about how “uNdergRaD cHangEd mE”, I’ll keep it concise and focused on the mission I’ve repeated here on this blog and where I currently am in pursuit of that mission. So, let’s reflect on that original question posed in the 2022 Annual review that guided my undergraduate journey! 

“In what ways can we evolve international policies, laws, and institutions to be more effective in responding to genocide & human rights violations?” 

I entered junior spring with this question ringing around in my head, extremely curious as to the nature of legal systems and political thought that surround human rights. With my senior thesis around the corner, I used this question as the starting point. From this, I then looked to find powerful moments in political history where human rights, as a practice, evolved. Classes were helpful, but the most pivotal experience was my time working in the U.S. Mission to the United Nations/Washington (USUN/W). 

Becoming a U.S. Foreign Service Intern, Research, and Thesis

A month after I wrote the 2022 Annual Review, I received an offer to become a U.S. Foreign Service Intern which is an incredible two-summer program offered by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor an experiential learning experience for undergraduates to explore what a career in the Foreign Service is like. It offers a domestic and international assignment to really let you dig into what it’s like to become a diplomat, and I can’t praise this program enough for how amazing it is. (will dig into this experience at the end of the summer where I reflect on both summers) I got a chance to become a mini U.S. diplomat for two summers! 🤠

Unsurprisingly, working in policy helped me immensely in following that guiding question. At USUN/W, I had the opportunity to support Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s team in all of her cabinet and policy responsibilities in D.C. The team does a lot of incredible human rights work, and it was during one assignment focusing on Bosnia and Herzegovina that I found the inspiration for my thesis.  

Coming back to Cornell for my senior year was extremely exciting because I finally had my topic and was set up to write my Humanities Scholars senior thesis under the supervision of Dr. Oumar Ba. I wanted to understand the impact of the Dayton Agreement of 1995 to the advancement of human rights. As I dug into the text of the agreement and the academic literature of human rights, my project quickly evolved to become more concerned with the theoretical and legal implications of the 1995 agreement to the meaning of human rights. How did the Dayton Agreement of 1995 impact the evolution of human rights? Is international law an effective avenue for advancing human rights? 

From there, my senior year became really fun. Recognizing the importance of international law to the advancement and legitimization of human rights, I then dove into scholarship on the history of international law to trace the epistemics of human rights. I came across and drew on the work of exciting scholars like Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro, Emma Mackinnon, and Samuel Moyn to find answers to my question. Late nights in A.D. White Library replaced going out, perhaps a bit more than it should have, but I was truly having a phenomenal time digging into the history of political thought on internationalism, law, and human rights. 

“We get it Oscar, your social life died senior spring! Anything good come of it???” -crying cat-

Yes!

The Impact of my Research

At the end of this lengthy months-long process, my 90-page thesis ended up with the title, The Temporality and Multidimensionality of Human Rights and International Law | A Theoretical Analysis of the Dayton Agreement of 1995. Most importantly, I wound up with a sharper vision of how I where I wanted to take my life. I ended my thesis with the conviction that there is a very serious epistemological issue with human rights, and from this, I believe much harm has translated into political efforts to advance human rights– to the point that I truly fear for its survivability in this century. 

I want to fight this. From my experiences working in policy and from the research I’ve done, I’ve learned that there is no singular path to reaching exciting policy spaces that actively engages with intentional human rights such as the Foreign or Civil Service of the U.S. Department of State or the National Security Council. With that freedom in mind, I want to carve my own path where I work to advance human rights within the academy and foreign policy. Scholar-practitioners are rare, but the range of tools they have at their disposal to do intellectual and political good is truly unparalleled. I want that.

So, what does this all mean for my future? Well, after writing my thesis, I know for a fact that I want my PhD. It’s likely going to be most advantageous to pair that with a JD, so it looks like my thinking junior year was pretty spot on, albeit for different reasons. Matching a doctorate in political theory with a JD in international law will open up a massive array of options to take on this fight. After all, the luxury of choice is the best way to have a minimally constrained approach to your goals.

I can already hear you through your screen, across space and time. “WOW OSCAR YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN SCHOOL FOREVER.”

Yep! That means I’ll be in school for quite some time, but I’m ok with that. After my gap year, I’ll be pursuing an MA in Political Theory at the University of Chicago in Fall 2024 to get ready for doctoral and law school applications to make this happen. Joint degrees, depending on where you pursue them, can actually be condensed and done in a shorter time period. Fingers crossed for doing both degrees at the same school! 

In the more immediate future, I have some questions that I need to answer. I’ll be working for the State Department this summer in the U.S. Mission to the United Nations/Rome doing a lot of fun multilateral work. In Rome, I hope to decide whether or not I want to pursue the foreign service now as opposed to after completing my education. But above that, I hope to have a fun time and dig into the historical wonders of Rome and explore the culture of Italy. It’s a good time to take a step back and be grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had and to celebrate how far I’ve gotten. While it certainly is nice to have a grand evil plan for how I hope to approach the future, I can’t risk missing out on the moment and all of its wonders. After all, it’s absolutely filled with reasons to be grateful, exciting places to explore, and new stories to discover.

To all who have challenged me, encouraged me, and inspired me, thank you.