From Senior Thesis to the FIFA World Stage: Rachael Hughen '15 Takes on the 2026 World Cup

When Rachael Hughen '15 looks back on the start of her career in international affairs and intelligence, she doesn’t begin in a government office or overseas posting. She begins at Indian Creek.

As a senior, Rachael worked with legendary faculty member Mr. Chip Voros (for whom the Voros Thesis is named) on a project focused on post-conflict reform in several countries.  Like many Voros theses, this was an unusually specialized topic for a high school-level project, but one that quietly set the direction for Rachael's future path. The thesis experience sparked a deeper curiosity about global events and international systems, eventually leading Rachael to George Washington University, where she immersed herself in international affairs and began building a career defined by travel, risk analysis, and global coordination.

After college, Rachael’s work took her to Cuba, where she supported environmental diplomacy efforts by coordinating collaboration between Cuban and American scientists. From there, she joined the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., helping design strategic simulations and war-gaming exercises focused on regions like the Balkans and Venezuela.

Her path then moved into the private sector, first with Uber’s global security team, where she conducted risk assessments for launching services in high-risk international markets across Central America and Mexico. Most recently, she served as a senior geopolitical risk analyst for American Airlines where her work directly informed flight safety by analyzing conflict zones, assessing anti-aircraft threats, and helping determine safe routes and altitudes for aircraft operating around the world. The role also brought her to Haiti to support operational planning on the ground.

Today, Rachael is helping prepare for one of the largest sporting events in history: the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Based in Miami, she leads an intelligence team responsible for coordinating information-sharing and security insight across not one, but three host countries:  Canada, the United States, and Mexico, all while producing what she calls “football intelligence.”

That means analyzing everything from supporter culture and fan behavior to geopolitical flashpoints that could affect matches and travel. It is a massive undertaking: 48 teams, 104 matches, and more than a month of global attention. As Rachael puts it, the scale is “like 104 Super Bowls in 36 days,” with even larger crowds, festivals, and international movement surrounding each game.

Amid the complexity, one of the most meaningful parts for her job is seeing new nations enter the global spotlight. Smaller or first-time teams—from places like Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Haiti—bring passionate fan bases and fresh energy that remind her why global events matter in the first place.

Despite the high-stakes nature of her work, Rachael’s advice to Creek students interested in international affairs is surprisingly simple: keep your eyes open.  She explains that often, people assume the field only exists in government agencies or diplomacy. However, international expertise is essential across corporations, airlines, global events, and supply chains.  World events can shape operations anywhere. On the corporate side especially, she notes, it is possible to make a meaningful impact very quickly.

Looking back, the advice Rachael would give her teenage self would be surrounding confidence. International security and intelligence spaces are not always diverse, and it can feel tempting to mimic those already in the field.  She would tell herself to trust her own perspective and voice - Good advice for any high schooler!

That confidence, first nurtured in a Voros Thesis at Indian Creek, has carried her from local curiosity to the global stage. As the world prepares to gather for the World Cup, one of the people quietly helping make it all possible is a Creek alumna who first learned to look outward right here at home.