Brian Harrin Video Transcript
[Interviewer] Welcome to the University of North Georgia's Political Science & International Affairs Department's YouTube channel. In this segment of our Meet Our Alumni series, you will have the opportunity to meet Brian Harrin. Originally from San Antonio, Brian joined the alumni ranks of our online Master of International Affairs Program in 2019. Recently hired by the United States Air Force's civilian service as an Intelligence Specialist, Brian discusses via Zoom his experiences and his impressions of our MAIA program from his home in Texas.
[Interviewer] Good morning, Brian.
[Brian Harrin] Good morning.
[Interviewer] First, off tell us a little bit about yourself. We just kind of want to know who Brian is.
[Brian] So my name is Brian Harrin, originally from San Antonio, Texas. I'm a big fan of history--a history buff. And I'm fortunate because pretty much from my early childhood I got to experience different parts of the world as far as traveling with family. So I guess that kind of instilled my desire to learn more about other cultures and ultimately pursue the MAIA program.
[Interviewer] Speaking of the MAIA program, What drew you to ǧÃŬAV? I'm sure there are a bunch of other programs you could have joined.
[Brian] Yes. So ǧÃŬAV -- The reason I kind of gravitated towards you guys, basically, after I got my Bachelor's in Comm & Journalism at Texas A&M University, San Antonio. I wanted to get into a specific field or at least try to, and I figured an MA in International Affairs was the best route. But like you said, there are many options I had including locally like private options with St. Mary's University, et cetera. But I ultimately chose ǧÃŬAV because of a few reasons.
Number one, I liked what I saw as far as what the program consisted of. I got to talk to Dr. Harris beforehand and ask him quite a bit of questions and kind of compare to other universities and get his feedback. So I appreciated that upfront.
And then the biggest factor, I guess, also was the online access 24/7, and the affordability with tuition. ǧÃŬAV by far was the most affordable institution I had looked at, and that was a big factor in my decisions.
[Interviewer] So tell us a little bit about some of your most memorable classes or experiences that you got to have while in the program.
[Brian] So just a little bit of background. So I went to A&M, San Antonio, got my Bachelor's and then right away -- I didn't take any breaks -- I got started with the MAIA Program at ǧÃŬAV. So it was a big jump per se because at ǧÃŬAV, you guys expect quite a bit from students, especially in the Master's Program. And it's clear up front that you really are going to have to work pretty hard, but you'll be rewarded at the end for it, of course. So it was kind of a hands-on type thing and kinda jumping in there and getting going. But it was a very great experience.
Some memorable classes I had -- Foreign Policy Process, International Security I took initially with Dr. Greathouse. That was very challenging but very well worth it. My first semester Global Governance with Dr. Harris was a great class. International Political Economy as well. International Political Violence Dr. Miner was probably one of my favorite classes because we looked at different security issues facing the world, such as terrorism, so forth. But yeah, and then of course, the Capstone was very, very challenging at the end with Dr. Greathouse but you get pushed and pushed, but it comes out to be very helpful for you in your career and future endeavors. And so it was well worth it.
[Interviewer] Were you able to study abroad at all? Or is that something you want to do or do more of?
[Brian] Yes. So how that came about was it was my last year at ǧÃŬAV, and I was looking at a Boren Fellowship. Unfortunately, I didn't get it, but I didn't let that deter me because I wanted to go abroad. I figured it would be really helpful towards what I ultimately want to do. So you figure I settled on Arabic and I did a lot of research and I chose a Department of State affiliated institute overseas. That's the Noor Majan Arabic Institute, Oman, and I went for a month.
And that just goes back to my original reason of why I chose you guys is because of the access literally from anywhere in the world. So, you know, All the way in Oman, in the middle of the desert, with barely a signal, I'm still doing my classes and able to do other things such as learning Arabic.
[Interviewer] If you could talk to some prospective students that are considering the program, at ǧÃŬAV, what would you say to them is something important to you and that you really found resourceful or helpful, and that's something they should consider for the program?
[Brian] If you're considering the MAIA Program, of course, do your own research. Don't listen to me. Do your own research. Ask questions like I did beforehand. If you still are wondering about things such as Dr. Harris, he is the Program Coordinator. So you can ask him questions or e-mail him and he'll be happy to, to kind of answer them for you beforehand.
And then my also biggest piece of advice is to, even though it's going to be a remote process because it's an online program. Do talk to your classmates, message them, et cetera, if you want advice. I did that. I reached out, made some good friends and it was very helpful. Especially when, you know, in that online class where it's a little bit different than in person, you don't have that kind of coordination with everybody. So yeah, definitely reach out if you're stuck or you need advice to your classmates. You're going to learn a lot from them and always be a good listener. And just really give your full effort in every paper and every assignment you have. Because it will pay dividends later on in life, like it did for me.
[Interviewer] Good morning, Brian.
[Brian Harrin] Good morning.
[Interviewer] First, off tell us a little bit about yourself. We just kind of want to know who Brian is.
[Brian] So my name is Brian Harrin, originally from San Antonio, Texas. I'm a big fan of history--a history buff. And I'm fortunate because pretty much from my early childhood I got to experience different parts of the world as far as traveling with family. So I guess that kind of instilled my desire to learn more about other cultures and ultimately pursue the MAIA program.
[Interviewer] Speaking of the MAIA program, What drew you to ǧÃŬAV? I'm sure there are a bunch of other programs you could have joined.
[Brian] Yes. So ǧÃŬAV -- The reason I kind of gravitated towards you guys, basically, after I got my Bachelor's in Comm & Journalism at Texas A&M University, San Antonio. I wanted to get into a specific field or at least try to, and I figured an MA in International Affairs was the best route. But like you said, there are many options I had including locally like private options with St. Mary's University, et cetera. But I ultimately chose ǧÃŬAV because of a few reasons.
Number one, I liked what I saw as far as what the program consisted of. I got to talk to Dr. Harris beforehand and ask him quite a bit of questions and kind of compare to other universities and get his feedback. So I appreciated that upfront.
And then the biggest factor, I guess, also was the online access 24/7, and the affordability with tuition. ǧÃŬAV by far was the most affordable institution I had looked at, and that was a big factor in my decisions.
[Interviewer] So tell us a little bit about some of your most memorable classes or experiences that you got to have while in the program.
[Brian] So just a little bit of background. So I went to A&M, San Antonio, got my Bachelor's and then right away -- I didn't take any breaks -- I got started with the MAIA Program at ǧÃŬAV. So it was a big jump per se because at ǧÃŬAV, you guys expect quite a bit from students, especially in the Master's Program. And it's clear up front that you really are going to have to work pretty hard, but you'll be rewarded at the end for it, of course. So it was kind of a hands-on type thing and kinda jumping in there and getting going. But it was a very great experience.
Some memorable classes I had -- Foreign Policy Process, International Security I took initially with Dr. Greathouse. That was very challenging but very well worth it. My first semester Global Governance with Dr. Harris was a great class. International Political Economy as well. International Political Violence Dr. Miner was probably one of my favorite classes because we looked at different security issues facing the world, such as terrorism, so forth. But yeah, and then of course, the Capstone was very, very challenging at the end with Dr. Greathouse but you get pushed and pushed, but it comes out to be very helpful for you in your career and future endeavors. And so it was well worth it.
[Interviewer] Were you able to study abroad at all? Or is that something you want to do or do more of?
[Brian] Yes. So how that came about was it was my last year at ǧÃŬAV, and I was looking at a Boren Fellowship. Unfortunately, I didn't get it, but I didn't let that deter me because I wanted to go abroad. I figured it would be really helpful towards what I ultimately want to do. So you figure I settled on Arabic and I did a lot of research and I chose a Department of State affiliated institute overseas. That's the Noor Majan Arabic Institute, Oman, and I went for a month.
And that just goes back to my original reason of why I chose you guys is because of the access literally from anywhere in the world. So, you know, All the way in Oman, in the middle of the desert, with barely a signal, I'm still doing my classes and able to do other things such as learning Arabic.
[Interviewer] If you could talk to some prospective students that are considering the program, at ǧÃŬAV, what would you say to them is something important to you and that you really found resourceful or helpful, and that's something they should consider for the program?
[Brian] If you're considering the MAIA Program, of course, do your own research. Don't listen to me. Do your own research. Ask questions like I did beforehand. If you still are wondering about things such as Dr. Harris, he is the Program Coordinator. So you can ask him questions or e-mail him and he'll be happy to, to kind of answer them for you beforehand.
And then my also biggest piece of advice is to, even though it's going to be a remote process because it's an online program. Do talk to your classmates, message them, et cetera, if you want advice. I did that. I reached out, made some good friends and it was very helpful. Especially when, you know, in that online class where it's a little bit different than in person, you don't have that kind of coordination with everybody. So yeah, definitely reach out if you're stuck or you need advice to your classmates. You're going to learn a lot from them and always be a good listener. And just really give your full effort in every paper and every assignment you have. Because it will pay dividends later on in life, like it did for me.