Anne Renee Werner is majoring in political science at UCLA. Anne aspires to be involved in international policy and work for the US State Department. She used her summer break to study Human Rights in the Columbia Summer program.
What attracted you to the Columbia Summer Program?
Columbia University offered specialized classes in a niche subject that I am very passionate about but had trouble fitting into my schedule during the regular school year. The small class sizes were also very beneficial because they allow students to interact with professors in a space that is challenging and fast paced, yet separate from the normal stress of the school year. Finally, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to live in New York City for the summer! The city is so fun and vibrant and made the whole program productive, meaningful and exciting!
Which courses did you enroll in and what skills did you learn? Did you have any particularly helpful professors?
This summer, I enrolled in Introduction to Human Rights, NGOs and the Human Rights Movement: Strategies, Successes, and Challenges, and Introduction to Human Rights Law. All of my professors were amazing! They are prominent in their fields and were more than willing to share advice and engage with us individually to discuss our own ambitions. I felt as if I left each class having gained new insights or tools that were not only relevant to the course material, but my future career path as well.
What was your most memorable experience at Columbia?
One of the most memorable experiences I had this summer was when one of my classes had an excursion to Human Rights Watch headquarters at the Empire State Building. We were able to listen to a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist speak about her work in a conference room that overlooked the city and had the Statue of Liberty visible in the distance! The trip brought the material we were studying to another level as we witnessed how international conventions and policies were being applied in the field and has further inspired me to continue my studies in international policy.
Learn more about the Columbia Summer program.
