Sarah Raza

Sarah is a junior from Michigan, majoring in International Relations with specializations in Social Development & Human Well-Being and International History & Culture. As a Muslim, second-generation immigrant, and a person of color, social justice and human rights issues have always been of interest to her. She spoke to us about her past work experiences, her future career aspirations, and what she likes to do outside of the classroom.

Can you tell us a bit about your past internship and work experiences?

In the past, I've worked with UK-based criminal justice law firm Reprieve, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and the Bill Lane Center for the American West. I currently work at the Stanford's Center for Human Rights and International Justice and the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking, and will spend this upcoming summer reporting for a newspaper.

What are some of your future career aspirations?

I feel grateful for how flexible the IR major is because I've been able to prioritize taking classes that interest me, like ones about human rights issues or South Asia. Until this past summer, I had been planning to go to law school to become a human rights lawyer, but after a particularly wonderful journalism class, I've decided to go into journalism. But I don't plan to switch my major — I love the classes this major allows me to take, and I believe it prepares me well for foreign correspondence and reporting on human rights issues. Ultimately, my goal is to make a positive impact in whatever way I am best equipped to; I want to use journalism to shed light on issues that are relevant to marginalized communities and to amplify their voices and share their stories.

What do you like to do in your free time, outside of the classroom?

In my free time, I like to read, write, explore the Bay Area, and look at pictures of my cat because he is in Michigan and I miss him very much.