I joined the Global Liberal Studies program with ambitions of seeing and changing the world. As cliché as that might sound, the program was an integral part in getting me on track to achieve such a goal. My time in GLS allowed me to reflect on where exactly I wanted to see that change take place. I am—and always will be—a Midwesterner. After being born in Iowa and raised outside of Columbus, Ohio, I have always strived to see the bigger picture. Three years in New York City and one more in Buenos Aires gave me the big picture that I needed to recognize the fact that the community I wanted to change was the one back home. After returning from my junior year in Argentina, I delved into immigration law at a summer internship. I then spent my fourth year completing my thesis about the emergence of political preference in immigration law in the State of Ohio. By its completion, I was determined to continue my studies in law school.
With the inspiration from my global, human rights-focused education in Global Liberal Studies, I applied for and was granted an Arthur Russell Morgan Fellowship in Human Rights at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. There, I am on the editorial staff of Human Rights Quarterly, I write as an Associate Member of the Immigration and Nationality Law Review, and I am continuing my study of immigration law. I spent my first summer interning at a human rights think tank in Bogotá, Colombia, but am once again bringing my education and experience back home. During the 2015 summer, my thesis work and experience will come full circle as I begin an internship with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality’s Migrant Farmworker and Immigration Project, which offers free legal services to migrant workers around the State of Ohio. I am confident that my legal education, my global experience in GLS, and my ability to speak the Spanish language will be fundamental in fulfilling my ambitions.