Month: April 2018

The Halfway Point

As my sophomore year at Ohio State draws to a close, I’d like to take some time to reflect on the lessons I’ve learned this past year.

Being a “Nerd” is Code for Having Found Your Passion—This year, I picked up a second major in Sociology, so I can continue to study issues of war and conflict from a perspective that considers how we make decisions as individuals and as a society. My classes this year have immersed me in the literature on international conflict resolution and provided me with practical skills for pursuing a career in sustainable peace. Highlights include Strategies of War and Peace, Peacekeeping and Collective Security, and Rebuilding Weak and Failed States. Top reading suggestion: The Justice Cascade by Kathryn Sikkink.

Usually Asking Questions Leads to More Questions—I started undergraduate research last year, as an assistant for Dr. Hollie Nyseth Brehm, a leading scholar in the field of genocide and mass violence. The experience inspired my own questions about how transitional justice works in post-conflict societies. I traveled to Rwanda in June 2017 to interview genocide survivors about the Gacaca courts and presented my preliminary findings at the 2018 Denman Forum. Looking forward, I’ve written my thesis research proposal, which addresses other factors influencing individuals’ perceptions of transitional justice processes in the Syrian case.

We Have a Powerful Voice—Raising awareness about the issues in our community, our country, and our world is the first step to bringing social change. As a Virtual Intern for the U.S. Department of State, I have been able to research human rights violations in South Sudan and tell the stories of survivors. Our Eminence Fellows cohort spent the year developing Enlighten, an organization dedicated to creating a culture of compassion for survivors of human trafficking in Columbus. This was my second year as a mentor for Refuge, which seeks to empower refugee and immigrant high schoolers to pursue higher education through mentorship. Our voices are impactful, and they are needed.

I would be nowhere without the support of my family, friends, professors, advisors and classmates—I truly stand on the shoulders of giants. As I head off to spend the summer interning in Washington D.C. followed by a semester abroad in Amman, Jordan, I say a bittersweet goodbye to Columbus until January 2019.

Original Inquiry: Denman Research Forum

At the 2018 Denman Undergraduate Research Forum, I presented the preliminary results for my study on Religiosity and Transitional Justice in Rwanda, called “The Devil in Rwanda.” I analyzed how the “Devil” was described in religious individuals’ narratives about the cause of the violence during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. I found that such narratives can shape the ways individuals attribute blame in post-conflict environments, with potential implications for perceptions of justice after mass violence.

I am currently authoring a paper on these findings and more with my adviser, Dr. Hollie Nyseth Brehm, from the Department of Sociology. Overall, my research looks to better understand how culturally-specific factors—like religion—can be integrated into the design of transitional justice mechanisms after genocide.