Meet Catherine Day MIA ’27: From Peace Corps to Security Policy

Catherine Day is a graduate student at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she concentrates on international security policy and is pursuing a Certificate from the Harriman Institute. She holds a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature from Boston College and is proficient in Russian and fluent in Serbian. She previously served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kosovo, leading community economic development and education initiatives. 

I asked Catherine to reflect on her journey to SIPA and how her experiences have shaped her path in international security. Here’s what she shared:

Can you share a bit about your journey to SIPA and what inspired you to pursue a Master of International Affairs?

Living in Kosovo gave me a firsthand perspective on NATO's permanent peacekeeping mission and the complex regional security dynamics of the Balkans. During my Peace Corps service, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in Balkan security policy with an organization like NATO or the UN. While I had become fluent in Serbian and developed a strong grounding in the region's history and culture, I recognized that I needed to strengthen my theoretical foundation in security studies. This led me to SIPA, where I'm concentrating in International Security and Diplomacy. 

You spent over two years serving in the Peace Corps in Kosovo—what initially motivated you to pursue that experience?

As a high school student, I received an NSLI-Y State Department fellowship to study Russian in Narva, Estonia, where I lived with an ethnic Russian host family. Through conversations with them and with friends in Narva, I learned about the challenges facing Russian minority communities in Estonia. I became interested in minority language politics in post-communist countries, which became the focus of my undergraduate thesis at Boston College. When I applied to the Peace Corps, I requested Kosovo specifically, hoping to serve in a minority community on education and development projects.

What did your role as a Community Economic Development Volunteer involve, and what were some of the most meaningful projects you worked on?

As a Community Economic Development Volunteer, I worked on building local organizational capacity in my community. My primary role was managing public relations for the Kosovo Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT), which I joined just a few months before they hosted their 25th anniversary international conference on Conflict-related Sexual Violence (CRSV). The conference brought together Kosovo's political leadership and CRSV advocates from around the world. It was a very meaningful experience to be able to contribute to a project that advanced dialogue on such a critical issue. 

How did living and working in Kosovo shape your understanding of development, local governance, and community engagement?

Living in Kosovo taught me that development work is slow and depends on meaningful community engagement. The most effective Peace Corps volunteers and development staff I met were a part of their communities. I think the key to effective development is understanding the environment in which you are working. 

Looking ahead, what are your goals after graduation, and how do you hope to build on your experiences in Kosovo and Estonia?

This summer, I will be interning with the Department of Peace Operations at the United Nations in New York. This is a full-circle moment for me as I was first exposed to UN Peacekeeping Operations as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kosovo. UN support for the NGOs I worked with were  critical for the establishment of these organizations. I hope this experience, in addition to my coursework, will prepare me for a career in international security policy after graduation from SIPA.