By Samantha Lewis, Edited by Anneliese Raynolds
As an undergraduate student at George Washington University pursuing a B.A. in international affairs, Jacob Winn became increasingly interested in electoral politics. He was intrigued by the modern, right-wing movement and wanted to investigate what was provoking this sentiment across Western Europe. So when it came time to decide on a topic for his research project in the Dean’s Scholar Program, Jacob knew he wanted to focus on the British Conservative Party and the populace success story of Brexit.
However, while it may seem as if Jacob was wholly set on one topic, he would soon discover that his journey would be filled with unexpected twists and turns. This first twist came when Jacob decided to focus on Brexit. Due to changing tides, Jacob had to constantly update his research to keep up with the politics in real-time.
“Actually, so much happened over the course of the time we were in the program that, sometimes between drafts, I was changing the Background section because things would literally change in the real world”
British electoral politics were not the only changing variable during this project. Jacob would soon encounter the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Jacob retained a positive outlook. According to him, while the pandemic may have thrown a few hurdles his way, it also allowed him to be more creative. Without the normalization of virtual meetings, Jacob says that he might not have been able to interview a member of Parliament.
“COVID made some things difficult, but it also opened some doors”
The Dean’s Scholar Program allowed Jacob to fully develop his research project from start to finish. Even though he faced some challenges on the way, he was able to publish his work in the Cornell International Affairs Review Journal.
“By the end, I felt like I had learned a lot. And I felt like I had written a real piece of work that I had conceptualized myself from beginning to end without really responding to a class prompt.”
One valuable piece of advice Jacob would give to those who pursue research is to have plans, but not plan rigidly. Constantly thinking through your project, Jacob says, and asking yourself “why am I doing this” will help when you inevitably face a challenge. So when you have to change something, you will know what to change it to and why you’re finishing the research.
The main lesson to learn from Jacob’s experience is to persevere and to take chances.
“This taught me that if you ask for something, people will often say yes. And people are asked for things a lot less than it seems. And I think taking chances and accepting a little bit of discomfort by putting yourself in that position, it can really work out for you.”
After graduating from GWU, Jacob went on to work for the National Defense Industrial Association as an Associate Research Fellow. He credits his time in the program for enabling him to develop his research skills and the ability to present himself and his work.
“It was the culmination of a lot of thinking and a lot of work. And being able to talk about something so richly was pretty valuable compared to if I hadn’t had that experience.”
