Stanford Receives Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Leading by Example

Posted April 27, 2018

Sam Nunn School of International Affairs graduate student Allison Stanford received the International Affairs Graduate Teaching Assistant Award from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CETL). 

This Spring she assisted with the INTA 2001A, Careers in International Affairs course. INTA 2001A is co-taught by Chair Joe Bankoff, Graduate Director Katja Weber, Undergraduate Director Mikulas Fabry and Associate Chair Michael Salomone. The course exposes students to different career opportunities in International Affairs by bringing in guest experts from various fields. 

Allison was responsible for coordinating with different parties to bring in a line-up of guests from the intelligence, legal, nonprofit, diplomacy, journalism, and business sectors. She was also responsible for grading and providing feedback on cover letters, resumes, and recorded elevator pitches.

She was nominated for the International Affairs Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for demonstrating teaching excellence inside of the classroom. “She has shown great professionalism and has been a terrific representative of the Nunn School in working with guests and makes a real commitment to helping our students understand their own career choice and opportunities,” said Joe Bankoff.

Along with serving as the teaching assistant to the class, Allison helped Stephanie Jackson, assistant undergraduate director, with the career talks and Washington, D.C., career visit. “She handled unexpected situations with grace and efficiency,” said Stephanie Jackson. “Always professional in her interactions. I couldn’t be more delighted with her work ethic and demeanor.”

Allison, who completed her undergraduate studies at Tech as an International Affairs and Modern Languages major, with a concentration in German, led the career talks and course by example. She used what she learned during her undergraduate studies to prepare an elevator pitch, which helped her land a job as an intelligence analyst after attending the fall career fair.

“I wish I could tell freshmen that you actually can do something with an international affairs degree, and that it’ll all work out in the end,” said Allison Stanford. She graduates with a Master’s of Science in International Affairs this spring.

A big congratulations to Allison Stanford for her well- deserved recognition.