Senkai Hsia

Senkai (he/him) is a junior from London double majoring in International Relations and Mechanical Engineering. His specializations are in International History & Culture and International Security. He spoke with us about how he became interested in IR, his favorite class, and his advice for future IR students!

What sparked your interest in IR?

Growing up in London, I have always been interested in meeting and learning from people who come from all corners of the world. Being a part of Stanford's debate team has helped me make a lot of international friends and go on fun trips across the globe. It was my background, good experiences in IR classes and the urging of my friends that ultimately made me to taking the plunge on adding IR as a double major.

What is your favorite IR class?

HISTORY 86Q, a fascinating class by Prof. Rowan Dorin about the History of Antisemitism allowed me to return to studying medieval history! Some of the more modern things I've enjoyed are Dr. Vardi's World War II class, HISTORY 202G, and auditing POLISCI 110D over Covid!

What advice would you give to future IR students?

I would get involved in the many student organizations that have links with IR and the department! Some like Society for International Affairs at Stanford (SIAS) are great communities and have so many events, but others like Stanford Debate Society or Forum for American Chinese Exchange at Stanford (FACES) have lots of IR students who love to talk about cool things going on in the world; be adventurous and seek these opportunities out!