Class of 2009

Economics major

English & International Studies minor

The engagement in my Experiential Learning course was the first time I truly felt able to practically apply my academic learning to my social justice engagement. By applying my economics background to the international human rights grantmaking I was supporting at Heartland Alliance, I was left feeling not only as though I was participating in something that was extremely important, but also something that I was able to add value to. It is for this reason that I find myself still working at Heartland Alliance eight years later.

While my academic background allowed me to add value in bringing new perspectives to my team's work, the topic areas of human rights and social justice were - as formal concepts - relatively new to me. Through the application of my skills, I worked with a wide range of colleagues and grantees spread all around the world; each and every one has, and continues to challenge my perspectives, broaden my horizons, and raise new issues that make the work I do all the better.

As I write this in Rwanda, I cannot overemphasize how much I owe to my Experiential Learning course. Were it not for the class I found myself in, I would likely be sitting somewhere very different. I took the plunge and shaped my volunteering experience into a career - a career over the course of which I have been fortunate to call three different continents home, support social justice initiatives in over 50 countries, and work with some of the most inspirational individuals you will ever meet. When I step back to think of it, I really cannot imagine what life would have been like were it not for this course.