Stanford International Relations Commencement Speech: Heajune (June) Lee ’21
The following is a speech written by Heajune (June) Lee, who majored in international relations and minored in computer science. June was selected as a student speaker at the International Relations (IR) virtual graduation celebration on June 12, 2021.
It’s not always easy being an IR major at Stanford. Discussions of the Iran nuclear agreement or the North American free trade deal often draw blank stares from dormmates, but mentions of AI, blockchain, or cryptocurrency draw immediate interest. Friends will often underestimate the extent of labor that goes into crafting a single, well-argued policy memo, or anything that lacks code. And introducing myself as an IR major can draws looks of surprise and the occasional, “You’re the first IR major I’ve met!”
While international relations may not be the first major that comes to mind when one thinks of Silicon Valley, studying IR at Stanford has been the best decision of my life. Each year as an IR major revealed so many discoveries, opportunities, friends, and mentors. While it is difficult to fully portray the past four years in a single speech, here are four stories, one from each year, that embody my experience in the program.
As an intrepid freshman, my first spring quarter, I signed up for MS&E 493, General Jim Ellis’s seminar on tech and national security. Every Wednesday, I remember walking into a room full of Ph.D. students and military fellows, listening wide-eyed as the general lectured on the history of revolutions in military affairs or recent advances in integrated air and missile defense. While most of the lectures went completely over my head and the weekly readings for the one-unit seminar took hours to complete, I was struck by how deeply the general cared about public service, and his strong conviction that with the knowledge and tools we gained at Stanford, we would be able to better serve the nation. This conviction turned out to be a trend throughout my Stanford experience, from Dr. Felter’s soapbox presentations, to guest lectures from figures like Dr. Rice and General Mattis, to encouragement from Professors Schultz and Kahl to consider careers in government. Being surrounded by faculty and policymakers who cared so deeply about public service inspired us to dream big about the impact we could have with an IR education.
My sophomore year, I took the signature IR course, POLISCI 114S: International Security in a Changing World. The class is known for its week-long simulation, in which students are assigned to country delegations and must reach an international agreement in a multinational forum. Working as the UN Security Council, my class participated in an extensive simulation that began with Israeli air strikes on a military base in Baghdad and escalated to a potential war between the US and Iran. Looking back, the week was a blur of UN General Assembly presentations, late nights spent researching, and sometimes heated discussions over the wording of the final agreement, but I’ll always remember how much my fellow students cared about reaching a fair settlement. After a full day of scheduled negotiations, delegates from the P5 countries deliberated in the Larkin lounge past midnight, resolving disputes that had arisen during the day, and trying to find areas in which our national interests aligned. Even two years later, I remember the passion that filled the room each night (likely keeping awake some unlucky freshmen), and the thrill that came from getting to know each other, not only as skilled negotiators, but also as individuals who cared deeply about preventing the outbreak of war in the Middle East, even if ours was only a simulation.
One of the undeniable perks of being an IR major is the study abroad requirement. During my junior fall, I studied abroad at Oxford, and loved the experience. Simply walking along streets once crossed by CS Lewis and Tolkien, or studying in libraries filled with centuries-old manuscripts gave a deep sense of history, and highlighted the degree to which the US’s young history shapes our understanding of the international system. At the same time, interacting with Oxford students made me realize how much IR provides a universal language to speak to people from all over the world. Over Cornish pasties and cream tea, I loved bonding with Oxford students over our shared love for international law, or our desire to better understand the effects of emerging technologies on future warfare.
The end of junior and senior year was a bit of a blur. While we were glued to our Zoom screens, far from campus, the past year has felt like a never-ending barrage of crises, from worsening COVID cases, to Black Lives Matter protests and a series of race-based hate crimes, to increasingly brazen cyber attacks, and one of the most contentious presidential election seasons. While much of the world seemed to delve on exhausted resignation, my IR friends and I also felt a certain degree of empowerment. COVID was not simply a global health catastrophe, but the result of systematic de-prioritization of health security, and emphasized the need for steady investments in national health infrastructure and global aid distribution. The continuing cyber attacks demanded nation-wide attention on software supply chain security and a discussion of the international norms surrounding cyber espionage. Through weekly Facetime and Zoom calls, we discussed our fears, but also thoughts on ways we could move forward from the current moment. The past year has made more real the consequences of policy decisions, highlighting our responsibility as the future generation of decision makers, but also underscoring the strength that comes from having a background in IR. Having a framework to understand changing geopolitical circumstances and reflect on next steps has been an incredible source of comfort as we confronted seemingly endless upheaval in the international community.
While the past four years have been different from what many of us expected, studying IR has been a journey of continual discovery, change, and empowerment. As we take our next steps into the uncertain world beyond college, I hope that the inspiration of our mentors, passion of our peers, global mindset, and empowerment to make change will stay with us, and guide us into our next adventure. It turns out, Stanford is a pretty special place to study IR. Thank you, and congrats to the class of 2021!
