Ava McElhone Yates ’21
Company / School: International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Position / Degree: Senior Strategy Officer
Overview
Senior Strategy Officer for Global Policy and Advocacy, International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Washington, DC
- BA, History, Vassar College
Ava McElhone Yates (she/her) is the Senior Strategy Officer for Global Policy and Advocacy at the International Rescue Committee. Currently based in Washington, D.C., she leads strategy development, annual planning, and cross-team collaboration across multiple humanitarian aid portfolios and five US/European capital markets. Previously, Ava supported Vassar’s implementation of the Migration and Displacement Studies Correlate as the Coordinator for Research and Pedagogy at the Consortium on Forced Migration, Displacement, and Education. During her time at Vassar, Ava conducted research along the U.S.-Mexico border and worked to bridge gaps between Vassar students, Hudson Valley activists, and diverse educational communities. She was involved with Vassar Refugee Solidarity and Vassar Alliance of Women in Foreign Affairs (now VAFA).
Advice to Students:
There is often a lot of pressure placed on landing the “perfect” first internship or job. Not only is the “perfect” role a bit of a myth, finding it is overwhelming when you don’t quite know what you’re looking for. Yet everything at Vassar—classes, projects, internships, student orgs, teams—are opportunities to learn about what professional roles and environments you like (and, often just as important, do not like). The best thing you can do is give yourself the time and grace to explore what you enjoy at Vassar. How do you like showing up to spaces? What roles do you tend to play in group projects? What qualities do you appreciate in a teammate or classmate? What conversations and projects do you find fulfilling? This is all valuable data that will help you find the right professional fit post-grad.
