From walking the fence line of Gaza in the aftermath of Nakba day to talking with an ex-child soldier of the Khmer Rouge, Ethan Ellsmere continues to be fascinated in exploring international relations on a deeply personal level. Ethan has always been a passionate policy student – seeking to deconstruct the world of governance and engross himself in tackling new challenges. His tenure at Wilfrid Laurier University as an Honours BA Political Science student afforded him the opportunity to extend his enthusiasm to academia, studying themes of international law, foreign policy, political theory, and economic relations.

Living abroad in Tokyo and London taught him to explore the world, learning from exceptionally diverse cultures and adapting to new environments. Layered by his experiences as an expat, Ethan has always sought to interweave the insights of his travels with his academic passion to find innovative solutions. Throughout his senior years of study, Ethan would always take a direct approach to researching complex policy subjects: from setting up interviews with Loncor Gold over extractivist policies in Central Africa to analysing linguistic speech patterns of Prime Ministers used to shape Arctic discourse. His interest in the Global Political Economy, supplemented by business courses to learn the role of private institutions, became the centre of his studies; a specialisation he endeavors to pursue further.

The BSIA’s Master of International Public Policy is the next step in Ethan’s journey – instilling applied policymaking skills to complement his academic passion and lived experience. Ethan continues to dive into each new challenge as a young professional.