Posted Nov. 7/05
By Tara Jackson
Jimena Jimenez plans to pursue post-doctoral work in the U.S. some day. (Photo: Sophie Béraud)
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Carleton graduate Jimena Jimenez is already putting her education to good use. She recently completed her Ph.D. thesis on North American political relations and now spends her time as a policy analyst for Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
“What I’m working on now is actually the very topic of my dissertation,” says Jimenez of her research on integration issues stemming from the North American Free Trade Agreement. “It’s interesting to see how everything plays out in practice.”
Jimenez came to Ottawa from Winnipeg, where she completed her undergraduate work and M.A. She says she was drawn to Carleton because of its location in the nation’s capital.
“I knew I wanted to do my Ph.D. in political science and I had an interest in public policy, so Carleton seemed like a natural fit,” she says. “I was looking for the opportunity to work with professors who had ties to government officials, and that’s definitely what I found.”
Jimenez is in the unique position of having lived in all three countries she studies. Originally from El Salvador, her family fled that country for Mexico when she was a child. From there, the family moved again to California, where they lived for a number of years. Finally, a desire for increased opportunities led the family to Winnipeg in the 1980s.
“My background has definitely influenced me,” she says. “I know I chose my area of study because of my personal experiences and heritage.”
Professor Laura MacDonald of Carleton’s Political Science Department says that insightful perspective helped Jimenez succeed as a scholar and researcher.
“While she was a student, she not only taught several courses, but she helped to establish the Centre on North American Politics and Society, an organized research unit located here in the department,” says MacDonald. “Jimena made a great contribution to the Carleton community and I’m looking forward to collaborating with her in the future.”
Jimenez will continue on with her work at Foreign Affairs and says she plans to pursue post-doctoral work in the U.S. some day.
“I’ll definitely follow an academic career,” she says, “but I still want to be involved in the practical side of things too.”
