Interview by Jordan Robertson
Growing up across from a Raytheon site, Jace Bartz had no idea how full circle his life would become. Years later as part of the Raytheon Contracts Leadership Development Program Jace works with advanced technology development and testing.
Jace began his education at John Cabot University in Rome where he studied Italian and International affairs before transferring to Baylor and switching to International Studies. With an interest in foreign policy, United States foreign affairs, and diplomacy Jace chose international studies because he believes it creates “interdisciplinary students”. He loved the variety of coursework such as anthropology, environmental studies, economics, language, and more.
During his undergraduate career, Jace completed three internships, two of which were with the United States Department of State. One with the US Embassy to the Holy See as a political-economic intern and another as a public affairs intern at the US Embassy Rome, Italy. With a December 2022 graduation date, Jace sought a wide range of opportunities, eventually landing a research internship with the Hudson Institute, a “non-partisan policy research organization dedicated to innovative research and analysis that promotes global security, prosperity, and freedom” from January to May. The best advice Jace would give any soon-to-be grad is to “apply everywhere you can, don’t be too specific, and keep your mind open to new opportunities”.
After the culmination of his internship, Jace transitioned into a position with Raytheon, a defense contractor company. After receiving an invitation to the company’s large interview day and excelling during the process, Jace was offered a role that opened up a door to new possibilities: the Contracts Leadership Development Program (CLDP).
Collaboration is one of Raytheon’s core values and when asked how it played into his day-to-day work life Jace explained its consistency through regular necessary partnerships between departments or teams on different projects. The actual products being developed are considered to be the most exciting and enticing part of working at Raytheon, as Jace is fascinated by the “capabilities and scale” of what he gets to witness and work on, including advanced technology development and testing along with AI and hypersonic technology.
When prompted about moral dilemmas regarding his work during the ever-growing conflicts in the international system, Jace explained there are “always questions” that come with working for a defense company. Jace currently works on “next-generation capabilities” in a developmental capacity. With only the U.S. government as a customer, Jace takes pride in the fact that his “work is going to support not only our military but the United States as a country.”
With his Time in the CLDP ending in June, Jace is thinking about his next steps including master’s programs in international affairs and relations with a focus on global policy. He aims to take all that his time at Raytheon taught him and apply it during the next steps in his educational journey.
