Cassidy Boensch, 2019 Human Right Grad. "I'm currently in Germany playing professional basketball and I plan to apply to medical school. Adding a human rights minor allowed me to gain a better perspective on the world and allowed me to grow as a person outside of my otherwise rigid STEM courseload. I believe that I will be a better and more well-rounded physician because of the time I devoted to my human rights courses in undergrad."

2019 Human Rights Graduate Eliva Mendez works as a Community Resource Specialist at EightCAP where she is advocating for and helping those with housing needs. "The courses that I took within the Human Rights Minor allowed me to strengthen my passion to advocate for social justice. Any, difference, whether big or small, makes a huge impact on someone else's life and it's important to remember that. I hope that in my current position, I take that insight with me in my day to day work. It's important to know who you're advocating for."

Dante D'Amore

2021 Human Rights Graduate Dante D'Amore. "The Human Rights Minor offered a new lens to think critically about multifaceted social issues. How human rights theory can influence and strengthen policy to better serve the global community.

After undergrad, I will be moving to Washington, D.C. to earn my Master's of Public Administration at American University's School of Public Affairs." 

"I now know that though I cannot change and fix the entire world, I can, one person at a time, change individuals' entire worlds."  Madison L.

"I am not the only one trying to change the world, and being surrounded by people who care about human rights as much as I do has been really inspiring, and has encouraged me to keep trying."  Keelin C.

"I believe that understanding humanity, respecting different cultures, knowing what is going on around the world, and understanding why human rights violations matter so much have positively impacted my approach to legal issues."  Sara V.

Jill Grifhorst

2017 Human Rights graduate, Jill Grifhorst, has accepted a position at the US Supreme Court. Jill will be an Aide to the Supreme Court Marshall, a job in which she will work with all nine justices over the next two years. When she interviewed for the position, Jill spoke about how the Human Rights program gave her a unique perspective on law and government. 

Jill shared the following about her time at Grand Valley, "I went to college knowing exactly what I wanted to study but not knowing what I wanted to do. The diverse choices in classes offered at Grand Valley allowed me to see every option I had. I was also able to build lasting relationships with my professors. In regards to my new job as a Marshal’s Aide, I am excited about the opportunity and I am eager to continue to learn while in DC."

Congratulations Jill!

Mario Amaya

Mario Amaya, a former Human Rights student, has served as the Development Analyst based at the Obama Foundation’s Chicago headquarters since July 2018. The Obama Foundation’s mission is to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of active citizens. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mario held the position of Senior Program Officer for Program Development at Heartland Alliance International, an international development organization implementing human rights programming in nearly a dozen countries around the world. From 2014 to 2016, Mario served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda, where he worked to develop the English language proficiency and improve the healthy living practices of members of his host community. Mario graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Grand Valley State University in 2014.