What was your first job after college and how did you get it?
Development & Outreach Associate at Human Rights Watch. I just applied during my last semester of college and got it. Because I studied philosophy, I was anxious about my prospects at finding a job. My advice to all humanities/nonbusiness
majors: screw "practical" education. What's more practical than learning about the human experience through its most eloquent expressions? If you need WORK experience, then take summer jobs.
How did you get your current job?
When the HIV/AIDS & Human Rights Program was created at Human Rights Watch, I applied for the program associate position and got it.
What experiences and/or course work in college best prepared you for this job or influenced your decision to do this work?
Studying social and political philosophy in college. This helped me understand how structurally unjust and oppressive human history has been. Marxism instilled the idea that we are historical beings and that we have a stake in the
collective well-being of the human race.
Any regrets? What experiences and/or course work might have better prepared you for this work?
I wish I had worked more in the NGO sector when I was in college. Because the struggle is international and the most oppressed elements of society are (surprise, surprise) the brown/non-white/non-English speaking people of the world,
it's extremely important to learn a second or third language so that we can communicate with the rest of the world. I urge everyone to study abroad at least one year of college and achieve fluency in a foreign language.
Have you attended graduate school or are you considering graduate school? What degree do you have/would you want and why? Are there any limitations to advancement in your field if you do not have a certain graduate degree?
I am considering studying law. The world is structured upon legal institutions, most of them designed to control the populace. But it's important to understand that laws are expressions of power and to challenge that power we need to
understand how to organize and inspire people. Social sciences and the humanities help us understand what's wrong the world and how to engage with other human beings.
