By Emma Niewald, Graduate student at the UT LBJ School of Public Affairs
After interning with the National Democratic Institute in North Macedonia this summer, I feel more committed than ever to pursuing a career in the field of Rule of Law in the Balkans when I graduate next year. Though my path to a career in this space hasn’t been direct, it’s what I’ve always dreamed of. I’m a political consultant with 12 years of policy experience, ten of which I’ve spent in electoral politics. I graduated from Austin College with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and French in 2012. After graduation, I interned with nonprofits in Washington, D.C., including the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and the Center for National Policy.
I got my first job in politics as an organizer for Wendy Davis in 2014 and quickly caught the “campaign bug.” I’ve had the chance to work on campaigns from school board to U.S. President in organizing, fundraising, communications, and political departments, along with campaign management. The most recent campaign I worked for full-time was Beto O’Rourke’s 2022 gubernatorial bid, where I managed the political surrogate and endorsement programs while building relationships with elected officials statewide.
In 2019, I started my own business, a political consulting firm called The Campaign Catalyst. I named it after a mentor of mine, Joseph Kopser, who co-authored a book called Catalyst. Joseph taught me so much about running a business and working in politics, and I’ll always be grateful for his mentorship. Additionally, my former boss, Krisi Kastl of Kastl Law, P.C., encouraged me to start my own business. I’m looking forward to celebrating my sixth year of self-employment next week.
As a consultant, I’ve had the immense pleasure of working for a variety of political clients, community leaders, nonprofits, and small businesses in fundraising, campaign management, and political strategy. I know I’m lucky to have had the freedom to work for myself and the flexibility to travel internationally while doing so.
I decided to go back to school to pursue my Master’s Degree in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School at the University of Texas in order to transition into International Relations. This is what I had always dreamed of doing after graduation, and I feel so lucky to have found something that combines my professional political experience with my academic interests of conflict resolution, rule of law, and Balkan history. One of my earliest childhood memories was of my dad showing me the University of Texas and telling me that’s where I’d attend school some day. It feels like a full circle moment to be able to attend the school from which he obtained his Master’s degree in 1980.
This summer, I’ve been selected by UT’s Embedded Scholars program to intern with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Skopje, North Macedonia. My research partner, Avin French, and I have been placed with the Parliamentary Support Program (PSP). PSP has a ten-year track record of increasing the efficiency and public trust of the National Assembly, the unicameral legislative body of North Macedonia.
I’ve found my research with NDI to be extremely fulfilling. I’m fortunate to be working with such an incredible organization and talented team here in Skopje. I have relished the opportunity to analyze parliamentary procedures and legislation in this country, along with learning about an entirely new system of government and the process of European Union (E.U.) accession. I’m loving this work and could absolutely see myself doing something similar after I complete my Master’s program.
My favorite thing about this internship so far has been analyzing the rules of procedure and the oversight mechanisms of the legislature, which I find fascinating. I’ve also had a blast interviewing elected officials and experts, and been intrigued by listening to focus groups on public perception of the legislature and talking to voters.
With NDI, I had the opportunity to visit Tetova, North Macedonia for a caravan with the goal of facilitating conversations between constituents and members of parliament in their district. This reminded me of my early days working as an organizer on political campaigns, and I remember being inspired when speaking with the children who attended, many of whom spoke English impressively well, as a second or third language.
With only a 34 year history of democratic government, North Macedonia is still a “young democracy” and there is much work to be done. It’s incredible to witness how much this country has been able to build in the last three decades. At the same time, it has been striking to see the difficulties this country has faced as it battles logistical hurdles of establishing systems for oversight and transparency which many governments face, while battling corruption and brain drain.
This work is important, not only to strengthen the country’s democracy, but also to ensure that North Macedonia is able to join the European Union, if they wish to do so. I can sympathize with the huge sacrifices this nation has made: changing the name of their country, their flag, and their constitution, only to be blocked from joining the E.U. and to be met with more demands.
Furthermore, I’ve found evaluating the financial contribution and expenditure regulations of this country to be fascinating. I’m anxious to work on this topic further after my internship ends. I plan to conduct independent research on this subject to compare and contrast the various election laws and oversight mechanisms in the region which grew from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Another highlight of our trip was traveling to Pristina, Kosovo with Dr. Ashley Moran and the other students from the Embedded Scholars program in the Balkans. There, we had the chance to meet with judges from the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, the Office of the Ombudsperson of Kosovo, and the Kosova Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims, whose director has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
It’s difficult to put into words how meaningful this summer has been to me. I’m endlessly grateful for everyone who made this experience possible, including Texas Global, the UT Austin Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service, and the LBJ School.
I’m especially thankful for Dr. Moran’s hard work to find this internship for us despite the funding cuts which prohibited many of our colleagues from seeking similar opportunities abroad this summer. I’d also like to thank my wonderful professors, including Dr. Kiril Avramov, Dr. Michael Dennis, Dr. Lornic Redei, and Dr. Alexandra Sukalo.
I feel more committed than ever to pursuing a career in the field of Rule of Law in the Balkans when I graduate next year. I’m appreciative of everyone who made this internship possible for me and I’m looking forward to returning to the region to work in International Relations in the near future. Though my path to a career in this space hasn’t been direct, it’s what I’ve always dreamed of. I’m excited about continuing my summer research and what a future in this field may hold. Thanks to everyone who helped me get here today.
