Tell us about yourself
My name is Austen Edwards and I am a fourth-year International Affairs and Public Policy double major from rural South Georgia. As long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed traveling, learning about new cultures, and asking endless questions about how societies develop and function. So, it was no surprise when I became really interested in government and politics after I spent 6 months working on the Floor of the US House and studying in the Library of Congress when I was only seventeen. Ever since, I’ve been an unabashed news-junkie trying to get back to Washington one way or another. However, it was not until I came to Georgia Tech that I realized a greater passion for policy and governance rather than the infighting and backbiting of politics. My work with Student Government and various internships at think-tanks, consulates, and research centers have helped to shape this realization and have driven me to pursue a career in public service.
How do you balance everything you have going on?
Well, I can’t say that I have always been able to do it well, but for the most part, it just takes diligence and planning. I think finding a few opportunities that really ignite a passion (and focusing on doing them really well) helps to give me the drive and energy to get everything done. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I also tend to be a tad obsessive about my calendar, email inbox, and task list.
What advice would you give to students who would like to be more involved in service and campus life but can’t seem to find the time?
Start small and ask for help. Student activities are just as important to a college education as our time in the classroom and most people on campus understand the challenge of trying to balance life, school, and outside commitments. If you start small and ask for help, you will slowly find your footing and gain the confidence and experience to keep everything balanced. Then, I suggest you try to do at least three activities while in college: 1) something you’ve always enjoyed, 2) something you’ve always wanted to do, and 3) something you would never have expected in high school. If you can fit those three things into your time at Tech, you’ll have an incredible time in college.
What would you like to accomplish as Student Body Vice President?
Personally, I am most interested in continuing the progress we’ve made in service-learning and student-faculty interaction, both of which were initiatives that I began last year as Director of Academic Affairs. When I was searching around for a college as a senior in high school, I visited another university where all they talked about was money – how much money they had, how much money you could make after graduation, how much money the flower beds cost, etc. When I visited Tech, it was the exact opposite; everything was about progress and service. I still see this same commitment four years later across campus but we sadly do not provide enough opportunities for our students to combine their passion to serve with what they learning in the classroom. I believe there is an incredible potential for Tech students to bring their technical brilliance to bear on some of Atlanta’s most intransigent problems. Fortunately, the administration and faculty have been just as excited to begin looking at new opportunities in this direction and I think we are getting closer to a comprehensive plan to offer more courses in service-learning.
What is important about the liberal arts at Georgia Tech?
I have always appreciated the Ivan Allen College’s focus on balancing lessons in theory, history, and abstract concepts with a distinct education in the analytical skills of the social sciences. When I speak to students from other universities, I’m able to hold my own when we discuss the political philosophy of Plato as well as the intricacies of geospatial and demographic analysis. Few other liberal arts programs are able to provide the same well-roundedness as Georgia Tech. I have also had several industry and government recruiters tell me that they are constantly surprised and impressed by this quality as well as the reality that while we are not engineers or scientists, IAC students can speak their language and understand how they think. I don’t have the first clue how to perform temperature distribution calculations but, after 4 years of living with engineers, I know enough thermodynamics to translate engineer-speak during the policy process.
What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I am actually a huge nerd for fantasy novels. I don’t dress up or go to conventions or read fan fiction, but there’s nothing better than getting away from all the journal articles and survey data for my research to kick back with one of Robert Jordan’s books.
What’s an experience that has been particularly meaningful to you during your time in Ivan Allen College?
When I was a freshman, I interned part-time with the Nunn School’s Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy, helping them to plan and organize an international conference on Korean energy security. We had invited two North Korean emissaries to come down from their station at the United Nations in New York to speak at the conference and afterwards, I was invited to go to dinner with them and a few other interns. An hour later, I sat bewildered as a 90-year-old Japanese acupuncturist cracked jokes with two surprisingly jovial North Korean diplomats in a Korean barbeque out of Buford Highway. Studying abroad with the EU-Brussels program last year also racked up a good number of memorable moments, like debating Turkish membership in the EU with a Member of the European Parliament. Overall, however, I think the most meaningful part of my time in the Ivan Allen College has been the incredible professors I have gotten to work with and learn from over the last three years. Almost every amazing story I have from my time here in IAC began with a professor giving me another opportunity to learn.
