Featured Alumni Profiles
Firsthand from the alumni, these profiles will highlight some of the work done by IDS/IS graduates during and after their time in the program and also include career updates.
Hoda Dehdashti
As an American (of Iranian heritage) fluent in Spanish, Persian and familiar with Arabic, and also interested in both the arts and the sciences, I knew that I needed to major in a field that would supplement my unique background. The minute I learned about the Interdisciplinary Studies program, I fell in love with it. It was everything I needed to fulfill my endeavors. IDS helped me utilize my international academic potential to my full capacity.
My experience with the IDS program was always rewarding. Through IDS, I interned for World Care and studied abroad in Iran twice. A highlight of my IDS experience was getting to know other IDS majors through the International Studies Student Association. As president of the club for the 2004-05 academic year, I experienced the diversity of my major through many events including international food nights and donating money raised in a bake sale to UNICEF for the 2004 tsunami victims.
The IDS major expanded my horizons on an international basis. In the summer of 2006, I built a network of contacts with Public Health faculty at Tehran University in Tehran, Iran. The network was invaluable in assisting me with my senior thesis research which analyzed the handling of the 2003 Bam, Iran earthquake.
That fall, Dr. Decker, the best academic advocate and advisor anyone could ask for, suggested that I apply for the Fulbright Fellowship. I did, and I received the award! As a Fulbrighter, I will be spending the next year in Syria studying Arabic, and in Qatar doing Public Health research. My ultimate goal is to work for the WHO or UNICEF as an international health representative.
Matt Stone
Matt Stone, a 2007 international studies and economics graduate, is currently pursuing a MSc in energy economics at the University of Dundee in Scotland as a Marshall Scholar. During his time as an international studies undergrad, Stone researched the security ramifications of Eurasian energy relations. Following a brief stint in Moscow and an internship with Nuclear Threat Initiative in Washington, D.C., he was awarded an NSEP-Boren Scholarship to study in Irkutsk and Vladivostok, Russia, during which time Stone began to look at Sino-Russian cooperation on oil and natural gas projects. Culminating in an honors thesis, he conducted research interviews with scholars in Vladivostok, Paris, London, New York and Washington, D.C.
The international studies program allowed Stone to develop a very specific and comprehensive (i.e., multidisciplinary) body of knowledge about a pressing global issue. Under the direction of Dr. Wayne Decker, he was challenged to look for innovative internships, research opportunities and travel experiences outside the bounds of traditional departments.
Following his current course of study, Stone will pursue a MA in intelligence & international security at King`s College London. Ultimately, he hopes to work as a policy leader on questions of U.S. national security.
Tim Ehrhard
I was attracted to the University of Arizona because I knew about the Inter-Disciplinary Studies, International Studies (IDS/IS) program and what a great opportunity it could be for me. It was through academic exploration that I gained a great focus and, to some degree, expertise. The path, which I charted, was at times difficult—but it was never boring or unfulfilling. I learned two new languages (and brushed up a third), traveled to four different countries, and gained exposure to an array of cultural experiences that would not likely have been afforded me in a more traditional degree. The highlight of my experience was traveling to Istanbul, Turkey in order to become immersed in the Turkish language and conduct independent thesis research. I spent two months there and gained a full year of lingual proficiency, learned more about Turkish culture than I ever thought possible, became even more focused on the problems of Turkish-EU accession, and made life long friends. I can say without equivocation that I own my degree in every possible respect. With the help of an outstanding academic support structure at the University College and the Honors College, I was able to craft a truly meaningful educational experience that has prepared me for my next great professional challenge.
The terminus for my undergraduate experience is a commission in the United States Marine Corps. As a new officer, I am expected to learn the technical aspects particular to my occupational specialty—but it is my academic background that differentiates me from a technician and makes me a thinking leader of Marines. The education I received through the IDS/IS program has made that contrast very sharp indeed. This foundation in contemporary political, cultural, and economic concerns will pay dividends as I pursue a military career that portends to include Foreign Service and para-diplomatic assignments as well as the more traditional duties incumbent upon today’s military officer. I intend to gain as much practical knowledge in the field as possible before continuing my academic education via an advanced degree program, truly acquiring a mastery of subjects which we are dealing with today. Passing this knowledge and experience to the next generation of young leaders is the next logical step, and those that know me know that I love to teach.
IDS/IS is exactly what the student makes of it, not more or less. For me it was an opportunity to put a finger on the pulse of foreign policy in a post Cold War Europe and Southwest Asia as it lives and breathes today. For others it is a chance to explore cultural heritage in disparate regions, unifying them along common lines. Activists find an outlet in the opportunities for international development; sometimes in places never heard of or long forgotten. Still others will find a way to reconcile what they see through the microscope of hard sciences with what they learn by observing the macro-scope of an ever more complex, interconnected world. While it may seem confused to put so much variety under one name, the one name defines it all: a student of International Studies will gain more than a diploma upon graduation, they just might find their place in the world.
Erika Zimmerman
In the International Studies major, I focused on Latin America and development. The flexibility of the major allowed me the incredible opportunity of studying abroad in Santiago de Chile, as well as spending some time volunteering on the outskirts of Sucre, Bolivia. Upon my return I chose to further explore some of the issues I had encountered in my senior thesis, Obstacles to Partnering: Overcoming Tensions between Evangelical FBOs and Secular Organizations in International Development. As I learned more about various injustices and human rights abuses from poverty to human trafficking, I became determined to contribute my efforts to changing them. I applied to the UA Rogers College of Law and will be studying there, beginning in fall 2007.
The IDS/IS major allowed me the freedom to deeply explore a unique and specific area of study. Its flexibility gave me the chance to both choose a meaningful set of classes at the UA and to study abroad for an entire year. The camaraderie I experienced with other IS majors challenged me to think more critically and encouraged me throughout my four years at the UA.
Pauline Mujawamariya
I arrived at UA as a transferring student from Pima Community College. As someone with an International background (born in Rwanda) who spoke four languages (Kinyarwanda, Swahili, French and English), and has worked with different International Organizations both in the USA and Africa, I was looking for a major that will allow me to enhance my existing skills and focus on a real International issue. Thanks to the IDS/IS major, I found my niche at UA and was able to customize my major focusing on issue that I care about: Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.
My experience as an ID/IS major has been unique in sense that I was a student and worked for the program at the same time. This allowed the opportunity to be surrounded and work with a group of real bright, social, and ethical students who excel at all levels, and I learned so much from them. As an International Studies major, I have been able to focus on an important worldwide issue that has a special importance to me: poverty. To better understand this issue, I have chosen to focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, because this is an area of the world where poverty is extremely pressing. My thesis topic “Understanding the Feedback Loops and the Interaction Between the Underlying causes of Poverty in Sub-Sahara Africa” helped me to further explore the aforementioned issue.
Through guidance and mentoring I have received from the IDS/IS mentors and faculty, I feel confident that my contribution to poverty alleviation in the World, and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, will be considerable. Focusing on a real problem became an asset because I referred to it while writing essays for graduate schools as well as competitive scholarships. I won a Fulbright Scholarship that allows me to study Poverty and Development at the Institute for Development Studies, Sussex University with that same regional specialization. The education I received through IDS/IS major has affected me as a person and had allowed me to get a better vision on how to improve the world. Pursuing an International Studies major has helped me to see my potentials, think about my future goals and realize that I plan to dedicate myself to poverty alleviation.
