Unknown to Alexis Katzelnick-Wise at the time, a summer in Spain as a high school exchange student ignited her life’s work.
“It was my first time living abroad, and it got me interested in internationally-focused things,” she said.
This interest developed exponentially later on in college, where the global studies and international development courses in her curriculum cemented her worldly affinities.
The next step was to get into a master’s program that would cater to Katzelnick-Wise’s international development aspirations. Location was key: She knew pursuing a degree in the Washington, D.C., area would be a smart move for her field of study. She applied and was accepted into several schools in and around the nation’s capital. Her top pick was George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.
“George Mason attracted me because it was the only school that offered a teaching assistant option for master’s students,” she said. “It also provided an intimate learning environment that was really appealing.”
Katzelnick-Wise started her M.A. in Political Science, with a concentration in International Relations, in 2008 and took advantage of the Schar School’s global course offerings. She immersed herself in international development classes, even going abroad to Switzerland and South Africa to further cultivate her global focus. It’s no wonder she recalls her master’s experience with reverence.
“I really enjoyed it,” she said. “International opportunities aside, I also appreciated that I wasn’t learning in giant lecture halls with 200 other students, which allowed for a lot of attention and support from professors and connections with other grad students that I’m still close with now.”
It was one such connection that set Katzelnick-Wise’s career in motion. A fellow student was working for the private international development company Chemonics International, and that eventually led Katzelnick-Wise to her current job. After stints in an international family planning advocacy organization and the Foreign Service Institute, Chemonics was exactly what she was looking for.
Katzelnick-Wise started out as a project management associate for the company’s Europe and Eurasia region, working first on a tuberculosis project and then an agricultural investment program in Ukraine. Providing access to quality care and aiding local partners on the ground was a dream come true for someone with a penchant for international development.
“Helping people all over the world, working on projects that benefit cultures and the environment – it’s really great,” she said. “I love working every day in a place where there’s room to learn and grow in addition to doing work that I’m passionate about.”
Besides Europe and Eurasia, Katzelnick-Wise has also worked in Chemonics’ East Africa region, providing HIV and antiretroviral drugs to over 400,000 Kenyans, and is now a project manager for the company’s Global Health Division. She credits her success in part to her master’s degree.
“Being in such a dynamic learning environment at Mason – being able to have discussions with people and having them question your ideas – was so important in shaping my approach to work,” she said. “My master’s experience taught me how to think, how to approach issues and talk through things, which has been very valuable.”