Donna Reynolds: Learning without borders

Donna Reynolds (MPP ’24) is blending her worldly upbringing and educational background in international affairs and policy to pursue a third degree in Europe through the highly coveted Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters scholarship (EMJM).

Reynolds spent her formative years moving around the world with her family, primarily between Seoul, South Korea, and various areas in the United States. These experiences inspired her to study economics and foreign affairs at UVA, where she was an Echols Scholar. Although she focused her studies largely on U.S.-Asian affairs, her interest in international policy spans the globe, prompting her study to French, Spanish, Japanese, and Korean languages.

Since attaining her degree from UVA Batten, she has worked at the United Nations on advancing sustainable development goals, a topic she focused on as a Tadler Fellow in Impact Investing in her second year at Batten.

Reynolds credits her diversity of experiences at UVA and after graduation as her inspiration to apply to EMJM, where she will pursue her Master of European Politics with a full-tuition scholarship and stipend. Through the two-year program, she will study at four different European institutions: Leiden University at The Hague, Charles University in Prague, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.

The opportunity to blend her interests in international affairs, human rights, and policy, and the intersection between each field is what drew Reynolds to apply for the EMJM.

“While I have been fortunate enough to pursue meaningful opportunities in each of these categories individually, I have not fully reached my aspiration of blending these fields into creating significant impact and change,” Reynolds said. “That is something I know will take time and growth, but is also what excites me most about beginning this new journey with Erasmus Mundus and getting closer to creating tangible impact.”

To complement her lifelong interest in East Asia, Reynolds is now keen to expand her understanding of European policy, politics, history, and culture.

“Growing up between the United States and Asia gave me a deep appreciation for cross-cultural exchange, and my studies at UVA centered on East Asian foreign policy,” Reynolds said. “Over time, I realized I wanted to expand my lens beyond one region, and the EMJM program stood out because of its interdisciplinary approach, mobility across several European countries, and its balance of academic theory with practical experience. It offers exactly the kind of global, comparative perspective that I believe will strengthen my ability to contribute meaningfully as an international policymaker and advocate.”

Although Reynolds says the analytical classwork at Batten provided her with valuable skills, she credits the school’s leadership curriculum for presenting her with a new lens in which to analyze policy.

“What was entirely new to me and incredibly transformative was the leadership curriculum with professors Andy Pennock, Gabe Adams, Ben Converse, and others,” Reynolds said. “Those classes challenged me to reflect on how I lead, how I collaborate, and how I show up for others. They continue to shape the way I navigate both professional and personal relationships. Learning to pair strong policy analysis tools with self-awareness and empathetic leadership is one of the most lasting gifts Batten has given me.”

In her time at Batten, Reynolds worked as a teaching assistant for professor Peter Johannessen and as a research assistant at the Center for Effective Lawmaking. She acknowledges the guidance of Johannessen and senior assistant dean Amanda Crombie — as well as other faculty, students, and staff — for making her time at Batten invaluable.

“The community at Batten is truly its biggest strength, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of it,” Reynolds said.

For current students who aspire to a career in international policy and human rights, Reynolds recommends staying open-minded and determined through challenges and new experiences.

“My advice to students would be to anticipate challenges and inevitable setbacks, not be deterred, and be confident that you will eventually be able to figure it out step by step,” Reynolds said. “In terms of getting abroad, I would say to apply broadly, embrace unexpected opportunities, and trust that each challenge will teach you something valuable. Often, the experiences I didn’t plan for became the most transformative.”

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