Aatqa Muqeet: Embracing a Career with Purpose 

Working with immigrants at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wasn’t on Aatqa Muqeet’s radar when she was first thinking about a college major and career. She readily admits she wasn’t at all sure what she wanted to do. Maybe aviation? Or maybe a degree and a career in medicine or technology like many of her peers. But none of those fields felt like a fit. 

“I knew when I was exploring in college … I wanted to do something different,” she said.  

It was a professor at Bellevue College who really ignited her passion for the social sciences. 

“I want to give a lot of credit to Dr. David Spataro, who teaches political science,” she said. “I took two of his classes, POLS 203 International Relations and INTST 123 Intro to Globalization. He guided me when I needed it the most, when I was quite confused about which academic path to take. I also noticed that for most elective classes, I was leaning toward the social sciences. It’s where I felt the most inspired. I talked to him about it. Like what kind of career can I have? What growth does it offer? Because, for me, it [a career] was about purpose. What impact do I want to make in this world, and what purpose do I want to serve?” 

Muqeet began at Bellevue College as a Running Start student through Interlake High School. She earned her Associate in Arts in sociology in 2017, and completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington Bothell in 2019, where she majored in global studies and in law, economics, and public policy, with a minor in human rights. 

During her time at UW Bothell, Muqeet held two different internships — the first with Washington state Sen. Manka Dhingra, who represents the 45th Legislative District in Redmond, and the second with the U.S. Department of State, where she worked on digital communications for the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Pakistan.  

“I was working with a foreign service officer to research cultural, social, and political issues relevant to Pakistan,” she said. “I would design social media posts, graphics, and write reports for the U.S. Embassy website. It was a good introduction into my federal service.” 

She also landed a month-long fellowship to travel to Pakistan following the completion of her education at the University of Washington.  

“It was an eye-opening experience, where I found immense empathy through my work of putting myself into someone else’s point of view,” she said. “This opportunity was through the American Pakistan Foundation. I traveled to rural villages of two provinces in Pakistan to research a government project to enroll out-of-school children in schools through condition cash transfers.” 

After graduating from UW Bothell, Muqeet had planned to study abroad to pursue a master’s degree. But those travel plans were shelved by the arrival of COVID-19. Instead, she found a job with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs in downtown Seattle where she assisted veterans with their military benefits.  

“I miss working at the VA,” she said. “There was much room for growth. But I also wanted to get my foot in the door in international-related work.” 

That interest in international work led Muqeet to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As a government information specialist, she now works with immigration programs.  

“Every case I open up, it’s a story of someone who needs help,” she said. “My dream job would be in refugee operations, bringing people to the U.S., whoever is in need. It will take time to get there. For now, I’m happy that I’m doing what I went to school for.” 

Muqeet is adamant about how much people who work in the social sciences directly affect global well-being. She believes that international studies or policy holds comparable significance to medicine or technology. And its practitioners deserve equal amounts of respect for their contributions. 

“Helping people, changing the world, making an impact,” she said. “That’s what drew me to it.” 

When asked for her advice to students who want to pursue careers in global affairs, Muqeet’s answer is simple.  

“Continue learning. Keep those critical thinking skills alive,” she said. “I think it’s really important for people to unlearn everything ingrained in their heads. Because of my education and experience, I’ve learned that we can’t really solve problems in the world by using (or maintaining) the mentality we used to create those problems. You have to change your mindset.” 

As for her own future, she laughs and says, “What horrifies me the most even right now is the idea of being useless. I feel like I’m well-educated, I’m brilliantly promising. But the fear of fading out into an indifferent middle age is terrifying.”  

There seems little chance of that. Along with her full-time work at DHS, Muqeet recently completed her master’s in international development through SOAS University of London. Now she is weighing her options for earning her Ph.D.