<p><span class="p-body">A student in the <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-global-affairs.html" target="_blank">MS in Global Affairs</a> program at the <a href="/content/sps-nyu/about/academic-divisions-and-departments/center-for-global-affairs.html" target="_blank">NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs (CGA)</a>, Ali Foote serves as a graduate assistant to Clinical Professor Thomas Hill, the director of&nbsp; the <a href="https://www.nyupeace.education/" target="_blank">NYU Peace Research and Education Program (PREP)</a>. She manages social media and communications for PREP and helps organize PREP's monthly seminar series on the growing need for peacebuilding in the United States.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Foote studied biology and sociology as an undergraduate, while her professional experience prior to SPS was in healthcare consulting and technology. &quot;I knew very little about the field of global affairs, but I have learned so much through my classes and discussions with my classmates, whose insights have truly challenged the way I think about the world,&quot; she explained.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">&quot;I have grown a lot as a student, a thinker, a researcher, and a global citizen. I also cherish the access we have to our amazing professors—I think this is a unique aspect of the program and not something you can easily find elsewhere.&quot;</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">One of Foote's goals coming into the MSGA program was to engage in work and research abroad. Through the <i>Workshop in Applied Peacebuilding</i> and the <i>Joint Research Seminar in Peacebuilding</i>, she spent a summer working with local peacebuilding organizations in Uganda and Colombia—two countries she'd never been to, but she now holds dear to her heart. &quot;I have always believed that traveling is the best education, but being able to pair that experience with a professional opportunity was more enriching than I'd ever imagined,&quot; she mused.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Foote's introduction to PREP was via the Joint and Advanced Joint Research Seminars, where students from the CGA travel to Colombia to conduct peacebuilding research with the Escuela Superior de Administración Pública (ESAP), a PREP partner. She spent last summer in Colombia and Uganda, working with grassroots organizations committed to building more peaceful communities.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Through PREP and the CGA, Foote has conducted participatory action research (PAR) with human rights defenders in the Huila and Cauca departments of Colombia, facilitating focus groups and in-depth interviews in Spanish in order to understand the motives behind their leadership, the dangers they face, and what structures can be put into place to protect their lives and their rights.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">&quot;In Lira, Uganda, I worked with the African Youth Initiative Network (AYINET) to develop a training manual for mental health professionals to support women and child survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies,&quot; shared Foote. &quot;I am also writing my thesis, which explores the impact of localization on gender equality in Northern Uganda.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">According to Foote, PREP fosters connections and provides opportunities not just internationally but within NYU and throughout the broader New York City community. &quot;Through PREP's seminars, students can learn about the peacebuilding efforts in their own city and be inspired to get involved,&quot; she explained.</span></p>

<p><span class="p-body">Foote then revealed that she had never heard the term &quot;peacebuilding&quot; before taking Professor Hill's introductory class, but now she sees that peacebuilding is everywhere. &quot;The philosophies behind the practice—analyzing and addressing structural inequities, inviting all voices to the negotiating table, looking for points of connection, striving to do no harm, and reflective thinking—are so beautiful, and can be applied to many situations, both in one's professional and personal life,&quot; she asserted.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Peacebuilding has helped Foote move away from dichotomous thinking, which she believes is crucial to healing our society. &quot;America is so divided, and I often find myself getting caught up in seeing things as black or white, right or wrong,&quot; concluded foote. &quot;Peacebuilding encourages me to step into the gray and see the humanity and the reasoning behind every argument.&quot;</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">An <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-global-affairs.html" target="_blank">MS in Global Affairs</a> from NYU SPS can open doors that you may have never imagined were possible. See where you can start the next chapter of your career with a degree from the <a href="/content/sps-nyu/about/academic-divisions-and-departments/center-for-global-affairs.html" target="_blank">Center for Global Affairs</a>.</span></p>