Charles Walker

Why Political Science?

Political Science provides a lens by which you can assess the triumphs and failures of our world today. It allows you to understand both history and the present by looking at governments' interaction with society.

What interests you most?

My personal passion lies within the field of world poverty alleviation and income inequality mitigation. But it wasn't until I enrolled in Professor Horne's international political economy classes that I truly began to understand the complexity of these issues. She challenged my most fervent belief and taught me to think critically about the intra and inter country policy choices espoused as the key to poverty alleviation.

Where are you now?

After graduating from WWU I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Panama for a little over two years and got firsthand experience as an international development worker. I got to experience the subsistence lifestyle of the Ngöbe people and the challenge of behavior change in a village without potable water and proper sanitation facilities. Currently I am working for a USAID contractor called ACDI/VOCA on an agribusiness market development project in Ethiopia. With 85% of Ethiopians employed as farmers, I'm optimistic that our project can improve the lives of the poorest Ethiopians.