American University, Washington, D.C.
Master of Arts in Political Communication | May 2026
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism | May 2025
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science | May 2025
I love American University so much that I got three degrees there.
Accepted into the Honors Program, I was able to graduate Cum Laude in both my Political Science and Journalism degrees. I graduated in May 2025 and was able to do so in just six semesters.
With a love of my Political Science and Journalism undergrad degrees, as well as an admiration of the School of Public Affairs and School of Communication, I applied to the combined Bachelor’s and Master’s program for an MA in Political Communication, an interdisciplinary degree offered jointly between both schools.
In May 2026, I earned my Master’s, having completed my MA and my two Bachelor’s in a total of four years.
Go Eagles!
A privilege of attending American University was that my professors were experienced experts and working professionals in the specific field of their courses. Some of the classes that best prepared me for my career were:
Campaign Management Institute
This course was a deep dive into learning how to run local, state, and federal political campaigns. By running an in-depth mock campaign for the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election, I was able to learn about every stage of political campaigns from experts in their fields. My team's final deliverable for our two-week summer course was a 100+ page Winsome Earle-Sears campaign plan that we presented to a panel of faculty and campaign professionals. Learning from Republican and Democratic politicians, chiefs of staff, media consultants, voice actors, and so many more strategists taught me lessons that I will carry for the rest of my life. The course itself was taught by the Chief of Staff for Governor JB Pritzker, Anne Caprara, campaign manager and political strategist Quentin Fulks, former Calvert County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Bob Carpenter, as well as the CMI Academic Director, Candice Nelson.
Capstone in Political Communication
For my Political Communication Capstone, I created a documentary that explains how ignoring climate change is a significant detriment to the American economy and how highlighting the economic repercussions is an effective way to make the issue a top voting priority among non-environmentally concerned Americans. My final project included interviews with environmental policy and communication experts, graphic animation, vox pop, C-SPAN clips, content analysis, self-interviews, and primary research, accumulating into a 45-minute multimedia Master’s thesis.
Workshop On Ethics & Lobbying
American University's Workshop on Ethics and Lobbying is an intensive program exploring the law, personal integrity, and complexities of political advocacy in Washington, D.C. The workshop is spearheaded by the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and the Bryce Harlow Ethics and Lobbying Forum. And I am proud to share that I was the 2026 winner of the Bryce Harlow Ethics and Lobbying Workshop Essay Contest! My paper, Bribing the Bride, pertains to Section 302 of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, which addresses the employment of congressional spouses as registered lobbyists.
International Strategic Communication
This course examined the political, economic, social, and cultural factors that shape the definition and practice of strategic communication across the globe. Taught by Priya Doshi, professorial lecturer and public relations practitioner, she brought her experience from working at the British and Swiss Embassies to the classroom, and I am grateful to have taken this and other classes from her. My final for this course was an in-depth behavior change campaign centered on reducing meat consumption to meet Iceland's ambitious climate goals.
Digital Skills
One of the most enjoyable classes I took at American University was Digital Skills with the digital director of the Humane Rescue Alliance, Dani Rizzo. With each assignment, I gained technical skills in videography, podcasting, web design, photography, and many other digital skills. In this class, most of my assignments centered on the experiences of queer people raised in various religions. I created a podcast with a lesbian Muslim and a gay Mormon on how their identity has impacted their faith. I produced a video with college students of varying religions on how their relationship with prayer has changed, being away from a religious household for the first time, and I even conducted the interviews at the Washington National Cathedral's Bishop's Garden. I also created a photography collection of the incredibly diverse and beautiful places of worship across Washington, D.C.
Research For Strategic Communication
This course covered quantitative and qualitative research methods, and continuing my quest to learn more about campaigns, I conducted an exit poll analysis titled “From Dead Heat to Blue Wave: How Richmond Defined the 2025 Virginia Gubernatorial Election” that utilized data visualization, quantitative and qualitative research, as well as insight from polling experts. I also worked with a small team to run a survey from start to finish on “Increasing the Student Vote: How Campus Resources Can Increase the AU Student Body’s Civic Engagement.” We designed and tested our survey, distributed it across campus, and presented our findings to Jeff Horwitt, a partner at Hart Research, and our professor.
Applied Politics & American Public Policy
My very first graduate course had me explore the relationship between applied political action and the formation and implementation of public policy. My semester-long research paper allowed me to focus on Wyoming water policy. I argued that Wyoming would be able to address and be better prepared for the future if the state changed to the riparian-hybrid water allocation system, better allowing the state to protect and use its limited water. Stating that by not having a hybrid water allocation system in place, states such as Wyoming are unable to preserve or manage the water to be best used for that individual state.
Political Communication
The course I earned my degree in examined the role of strategic communication in politics, including the interplay of news, information processing, and electoral and political campaign strategies. The course focused on how political messaging is disseminated and digested, and explores how campaigns use public communication principles to appeal to target audiences. Taught by Arthur Swift, Chief Communications Officer in Mayor Muriel Bowser's administration, I was able to center several assignments on environmental issues. This included a Washington, D.C. specific pollinator protection advocacy campaign.
Politics & Policy in the Digital Age
Matthew Herrmann, a Principal at the Roosevelt Group, taught this course that examined the impact technology has on the American political system. In my final, a Technology Innovation and Adoption Paper, I researched and argued for the implementation of Blockchain Voting, using the West Virginia pilot test system as my basis.