Eva Martin
Eva Martin
Bachelor of Arts 2016, International Affairs
Eva Martin is an Emergency Management Specialist at the Federal Emergency Management Agency where she supports a program that manages federal personnel mobilization. Previously, Eva worked as a Program Associate at Winrock International, and served as a Team Lead with AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps. Eva graduated from George Washington University in December 2016 with a degree in international affairs (security policy concentration). While at GW, Eva interned with the government of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Winrock International. She also co-founded Reliance Inc, a counter-human trafficking non-profit.
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What excites you about the work you do? I get to help the people who go out and help survivors after the worst day of their lives. If what I do can get someone in front of a disaster survivor faster, better equipped with the right tools and knowledge, and having had a smooth start to what may be a lengthy and stressful deployment, that is a huge win for our program and for me. I also get to travel a lot!
What is the most significant career experience you've had so far, and what made it meaningful to you? The most significant experience I’ve had so far (period) has been my time as a team lead. It taught me a lot about sacrifice, motivation, and leadership, and not a day goes by without me thinking about my team and feeling grateful for everything they taught me and brought to my life.
How did GWU and the UHP prepare you for your professional journey? In what ways has your career evolved since you graduated from GWU? One thing that has stuck with me from the UHP is Epictetus’s 1st verse in his Handbook, “some things are up to us, and some things are not up to us.” That phrase reminds me that there are so many things that happen in our lives which we do not control, but that I can control that of my life that is mine – my thoughts, my words, and my actions. When I start feeling frustrated or anxious about something happening around me, I think back to these words (thank you, Mark Ralkowski, for encouraging my affinity for the Stoics). My career since I have graduated from GW has evolved in ways in which I would not have imagined. A large part of that has been through people offering me opportunities, and I owe a lot to a number of people in my life who have noticed potential in me and taken the time to encourage and develop that. I try to pay it forward where I can, part of the mentoring piece that I learned as an RA and Peer Advisor.
Advice for current UHP students: Figure out what your priorities are. A piece of advice I received a few years ago was to know your why. Know why you are where you are, know what motivates you, know what you want to achieve out of a given experience. Your why can change – mine has, immensely. But your why is YOURS – it’s what no one can take away from you and if you focus on it along the way, your work and life will be more meaningful for it.