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I
grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and received an
International Baccalaureate degree from the International
Academy. I attended the University of Michigan for my
undergraduate studies and received a BA in English Language
and Literature and Political Science. While in school I was
active in an organization that brought creative arts
(drama/theatre, writing and drawing/painting) workshops to
incarcerated youth and adults. Immediately after I graduated
I worked as a research assistant for the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Data Archive at the Institute for Social
Research. I was responsible for creating databases and
making data from large, national surveys available online.
During the 2006-2007 school year, I taught English to French
high school students in the Aix-Marseille region. And now I
am here in Paris.
I was originally attracted to AUP because of its
dual-degree program in International Affairs that offered
courses in both French and English. I came to AUP to improve
my French to a professional level, so that I would be well
suited to work in a diverse, multicultural environment. Upon
arrival, I changed my degree to follow the dual-degree
program in Public Policy and International Affairs, finding
the program to be more aligned with my objectives and
abilities. I am the first student to follow this trackwes
from the beginning. I am finding that every subject I take
somehow converges with another course, which solidifies what
we are learning.
Our professors are not only academic researchers, but
most are working professionals. They contribute to the
textbook content and materials by adding personal experience
in the field. And students at AUP have lived and worked all
over the world, creating a vibrant learning environment that
brings real-life experience to textbook theory.
My favorite neighborhood in Paris is the 11th. It is the
least commercial district in the city filled with unique
shops, eclectic restaurants and intimate concert venues. I
came to Paris to take advantage of the presence of
international organizations and cultural activities. It is
impossible to be bored in a city that has huge parks,
gallery openings, and international spectacles on a constant
basis.
From June to September, 2008 I was a trainee at the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in
the Directorate for Education. I worked in the Programme on
Educational Building (PEB) which examines how the built
environment contributes to learning outcomes. I conducted a
literature review on how physical space is allocated and how
new technologies are funded for students pursuing a
vocational education and training profession. Since I
finished my traineeship, I have been retained as a part-time
consultant. My main projects now include conducting a policy
review on national, regional, and local policies for
Education for Sustainable Development and planning a
conference on Environmentally Sustainable Facilities.
My main career objective is to contribute to education in
developing countries. Ideally, I want to contribute to
realizing the Millennium Development Goal of universal
primary education. I’d really like to work on developing the
education programs promulgated by UNICEF. I plan on applying
for an internship for summer 2009. After graduation, I would
really like to work in international diplomacy and continue
to develop my language skills. So, I plan to take the
Foreign Civil Service Officer exam next year and to work
with the U.S. government as a diplomatic officer, hoping to
be sent to a developing country. I intend to do my thesis on
education and rehabilitation programs for child soldiers in
countries involved in civil strife. |
