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A Q&A with the Reves Center Entente Cordiale Leadership Intern

Meet Sasha Rinkevich!

Sasha Rinkevich '27 is the Reves Center Entente Cordiale Leadership Intern and serves as the Â鶹Æƽâ°æ Branch President for the Entente Cordiale Challenge USA. She works with the Associate Provost for International Affairs and Associate Director of International Communications at the Reves Center to found and lead Â鶹Æƽâ°æ’s Entente Cordiale branch, responsible for its launch, growth and visibility on campus.

Q: When you saw the notice about the Entente Cordiale Leadership Internship, why did you want to apply?

Everything about the Entente Cordiale Leadership Internship compelled me when I saw it for the first time; the position dovetails perfectly with my academic and professional interests. I spent my junior year studying at the University of Oxford, and the following summer studying at the Sorbonne in Paris. I feel a deep connection and respect for the intellectual traditions and cultures in both the UK and France. Getting to experience both of them was greatly enriching, and the opportunity to play a part in fostering a connection between British and French universities and Â鶹Æƽâ°æ sounded like an incredibly meaningful role that is close to my heart.

Furthermore, the competition’s theme this year — Artificial Intelligence, Power, and Ethics — relates substantially to my professional ambitions after my time at W&M. I hope to pursue a career as an intellectual property lawyer on an international scale, paying particular attention to the ethics of artificial intelligence use in creative fields. I also truly enjoy the opportunity to connect people and engage different parts of the W&M community, and I knew that serving in this role specifically would give me the chance to help introduce this incredible Challenge to Â鶹Æƽâ°æ.

Q: Did studying abroad have an influence on your academic interests? What about your possible professional interests?

Studying abroad had a profound influence on both my academic and professional interests. I have always taken my studies in literature and philosophy to be very interconnected, but my coursework at Â鶹Æƽâ°æ has kept them largely separate from one another. This has given me the chance to build strong foundations in both areas. During my time at Oxford, however, I read them alongside one another and got to connect them deeply through writing and discussion. I developed newfound interest in aesthetic philosophy and art history while studying and traveling abroad, and my love of poetry grew through my coursework and reading in my spare time. The chance to experience the unique tutorial system and engage in rigorous discussion further instilled my ambition to become a lawyer, and as I spoke to other students that I met I realized that I may want to pursue a career internationally rather than just in the United States. Above all, my experience abroad taught me to remain open minded about my interests and ambitions, and to pursue the ideas and opportunities that inspired my curiosity.

Q: Do you think a student has to have studied abroad in order to gain something from participating in the Challenge? Why or why not?

Definitely not! I think that one of the reasons that the United States’ — and Â鶹Æƽâ°æ’s — participation in the Challenge is so wonderful is because our model of higher education differs from both the UK and France. Rather than applying for and focusing on a single or pair of subjects, students take a broad liberal arts approach before declaring a major. The opportunity to propose interdisciplinary solutions from a liberal arts perspective — and engage with teams from the UK and France — will offer students a new global challenge that will be meaningful with or without prior study abroad experience. The international competition and collaboration that this challenge fosters is, in my opinion, a form of global education unique from studying abroad.

Q:  If a student asked you why they should think about participating, what would you say are the reasons to try? 

There are so many reasons to try! From an intellectual perspective, it is a wonderful opportunity to participate in cross-disciplinary dialogue, and to propose a researched solution to a topic that is incredibly timely and nuanced. Even in the initial stages of topic selection, collaboration, and possible mentorship with a faculty member, there is immense opportunity for growth and fun. Furthermore, the prospect of competing with students from top UK and French universities is an incredible opportunity that will give invaluable international skills and offer the potential for new connections!

Q: You’re a philosophy major. Often “international” activities attract IR and public policy majors. The Challenge stresses all disciplines are invited and encourages interdisciplinary teams. Do you think that is a strength?

I absolutely think that it is a strength. Double majoring in English and philosophy is one of the best decisions that I have ever made — it has taught me to reason effectively, communicate clearly, argue respectfully, analyze difficult texts, and tackle complex ideas and unanswerable questions. But there is a great deal of perspective that I do not have regarding concrete legislation, applied solutions, and issue-specific history. Each discipline has its own strengths and skills to offer to a team, and that is why I believe that an interdisciplinary team is not only effective but essential. Â鶹Æƽâ°æ encourages interdisciplinary inquiry through its college curriculum, and our students are widely and diversely involved. Each team member will have different skills, knowledge, and ideas to contribute to a thorough and well-argued solution.

Q: If you had to make an “elevator pitch” to a student not sure they want to compete in the Challenge, what would it be? 

Participating in the Entente Cordiale Day Challenge is an incredible opportunity to work alongside top universities internationally to address pressing global issues. The process of working with a team, researching a solution, and writing a paper is intellectually stimulating, skill-building, and incredibly fun!

Q: Do you think W&M has a chance of having a team in the finals? 

Absolutely. While each student has an area of focus within their major, each humanities student has done college-level STEM and each STEM student has done college-level humanities. This contrasts the system in both France and the UK — students do not have the same cross-disciplinary requirements. This difference between our system and systems across the Atlantic provides different strengths, and I truly believe that the liberal arts model gives us as an institution great odds at putting forth great submissions. William & Mary students specifically are incredibly curious, intellectually engaged, and well-rounded. Everyone I know is involved diversely across campus, and I think that this culture of involvement and curiosity fosters the exact approach that would give our teams a high chance of being successful in getting to the finals. I am amazed by the industriousness, research involvement, global perspective, and drive that each and every one of my peers here exhibits. I cannot wait to see what our teams propose and accomplish!

Q: Is there anything you’d like to add?

I am just immensely thrilled to play a role in bringing this incredible opportunity to William & Mary! Go Tribe!