Ashley Rhodes
B.A. Alumna
Biography
World Bank Group, Washington, DC
Ashley Rhodes is a Watch Officer in the Security Operations Center at the World Bank Group. Ashley’s professional experience and coursework at Tulane inspired her interest in international security and political risk analysis. After graduating in 2010, Ashley moved to Washington, DC, where she quickly realized that ‘unpaid internship‘ was the new ‘job.‘ She strategically accepted a position at a well-regarded think tank, a position that would expose her to the people whose careers she sought to emulate, while working full-time in a local coffee shop to pay the bills. Her hard work and professional strategy paid off. She ultimately learned of her current position and was interviewed through a contact from the internship. She is currently also pursuing a Master‘s degree in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University in August 2012.
Ashley shares some thoughts on her time at Tulane…
Why did you choose to major in Latin American Studies?
I spent most of high school taking advanced Spanish classes, watching The Motorcycle Diaries, and daydreaming about the summer I spent in Buenos Aires. Upon arriving at Tulane, I decided to turn my International Relations major into a double major in Latin American Studies, along with a Spanish minor. The Stone Center was instrumental in realizing these goals, both through the structure of class requirements and the phenomenal extracurricular opportunities available to LAST students.
How has your background in LAST helped you since graduation?
Although my colleagues and I all have regional specializations, the nature of shift work requires us each to be equally adept in addressing rapidly evolving geopolitical events across the globe. As the sole specialist in Latin America, I have gained significant opportunities to work closely with WBG management in a number of assessments.
Any words of wisdom for LAST undergraduates?
I would advise any LAST student to utilize the degree‘s flexibility, and allow it to complement one‘s professional interests beyond the scope first imagined as an undergraduate student. Most importantly, have enough self-confidence to work hard for free for an indefinite period of time, realizing that short-term sacrifice is worth every bit of long-term success.
