Emily Colcord Schrader '24

Emily Colcord Schrader is a recent Stanford IR graduate! She spoke with us about her areas of interest, her favorite topics within the IR Major, her current position at Stanford and what she likes to do outside of the classroom!

Please introduce yourself!

My name is Emily Schrader (she/her/any pronouns) and I am from Maryland, right outside of Washington, DC.

What were your IR specializations? 

I specialized in Social Development and Human Wellbeing and International History and Culture! I also studied both art practice and feminist, gender, and sexuality studies.

What did you enjoy about the IR Major at Stanford?

For an aspiring human rights advocate who loves art, history and literature, IR was an incredible opportunity to study the world through a multidisciplinary lens. To me, that meant studying overlooked histories through a cultural perspective. I was able to study the ongoing conflict in Israel-Palestine through a Palestinian literature course, to analyze the historic origins of antisemitism through a medieval history seminar, to research gender dynamics in post-apartheid South Africa while studying abroad, and to take many global Art and Art History courses.

What is your official title at your current job and what are your responsibilities?

I currently work as a Program Assistant and Researcher at Stanford's Center for Human Rights and International Justice (CHRIJ), which shares a lounge with IR! That means my side job is bothering Professor Rakove about minor historical questions. The historical questions arise in my work, too, because I am currently focused on cultural heritage preservation and genocide prevention through the CHRIJ's Virtual Tribunals Initiative. We are an online archive dedicated to digitizing and displaying court records from previous international criminal courts, so that current lawyers hoping to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes have access to a solid base of legal precedent -- online, for free, through Stanford University Libraries and the CHRIJ! 

Any advice for IR students?

Take one of Professor Vivian Brates' Spanish service-learning courses! She is such an incredible advocate for workers rights on campus, recently arrived immigrants and refugees in the Bay Area, and folks incarcerated in detention centers at the US border. Also, treat study abroad as a genuine opportunity to learn about other cultures, particularly those that get overlooked or neglected by conventional IR frameworks.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to paint massive mural-sized canvases with abstract brushstrokes, and I love working as a makeup artist for theater shows and for friends. Art and activism are both incredibly important to me, and I'm hoping to bring more art into future global human rights advocacy!