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Sofia Andrade
(Global Politics and Societies, African Studies)Graduation for the class of 2012 still feels like yesterday. While completing my degree in International Studies, I never thought I would one day be working in State Government, but here I am in Sacramento! I am honored to be serving as 2013 Capital Fellow in the California State Senate, where I play an integral part in the legislative process. As a fellow, I am responsible for carrying bills through the legislative process and staffing my boss in the committees she sits on and on the Senate Floor. This entails maintaining contact with key constituent groups, researching various issue areas, and keeping a direct line of communication with the necessary offices within the capitol. I love my job because I am always learning and am making a tangible difference in California's future. I hope to be able to stick around for a couple of years and go on to graduate school in public policy. I would encourage other BAIS students to think of a career in domestic public policy. (01/22/13)
Caitlin Dally
(Peace and Conflict Studies, European Studies)I am currently serving a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Step Up Savannah. Step Up works to target the challenges of living in poverty by building capacity through local coalitions, neighborhood leadership development, and a strong commitment to a collaborative approach; bringing together residents, business and government and the non-profit sector. My role at Step Up Savannah is the Wealth Building Associate, in which I work to help run the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, financial education/literacy programs and our quarterly poverty simulations. My interest and passion in the Scandinavian welfare model and social systems has been a real eye-opener since living in Georgia. Here the stigma of public benefits is stronger than anywhere I have ever been or lived. The current policy works to efficiently deny many who are in need of support. However, I am really enjoying my time in Savannah! It is a great city and I find myself thinking about how unique the culture is in each region of our country. I am definitely nostalgic and homesick for USF and my time spent in the Bay, but I know I will be back someday. (01/15/13)
Cristina Hunter O'Leary
(Global Politics and Societies, Middle Eastern Studies)After graduation in May I moved home to San Diego to spend some time working and tackling the tedious task of graduate school admissions. Over the summer, I got involved working with The AjA Project, a community program which provides photography-based education programs to inner-city and refugee youth in San Diego. I’m currently working as an assistant instructor and media curator with The AjA Project. Working with local refugee youth has been an incredible experience and has continued to shape my interest in a career working within refugee communities. I am also currently applying for my Master’s of Public Health. Majoring in International Studies always made me determined to work within the international community; however, I never thought I would end up pursuing a career in Public Health. Working with under-served populations in San Diego has further bolstered my belief that without proper health care we cannot hope to make large scale changes to our local and global community. I am so lucky to be working with The AjA Project as I anxiously await the decisions from my prospective graduate schools! (02/26/13)
Cutter Macleod
(Global Politics and Societies, Middle Eastern Studies)I recently started working in commercial real estate for Cushman & Wakefield, specializing in high-rise office leasing in San Francisco's Central Business District. I was actively looking for work since about August and was thankfully hired about mid-December. My current job has very little to do with International Studies, but I had a feeling that might be the case when I graduated and saw my immediate options. My major in school was something I was and still am very passionate about, but I decided to go in a different direction for several reasons and I'm very happy with my choice. When I was on the job hunt, prospective employers were very surprised and interested in my choice to study Arabic and the Middle East, so despite the fact that I may not be directly using what I learned, it definitely served me well during my interviews. On top of that, the writing skills that I gathered in the BAIS program have benefited me immensely - turns out that all of those 25 page term papers really did help after all! (01/15/13)
Jennifer Ready
(Peace and Conflict Studies, European Studies)Following graduation, I thought it'd be nice to enjoy my summer, so I decided to save up some money and move to Chiang Mai, Thailand to take my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course and then find work somewhere in Southeast Asia. Right now, I am teaching kindergarten and first grade English in Suratthani, Thailand at a bilingual elementary school. Since my minor was in European studies, I never really had a great depth of knowledge in Asian studies, I thought the best way to broaden my perspective was to move there and gain some cultural context. Being in Thailand is only a temporary endeavor, but now that I have my TEFL and classroom experience, I think I'd like to teach elsewhere and maybe even apply for a Fulbright in the future. (01/15/13)
