Human Rights

in Student's Blog, Summer 2016
August 11th, 2016

by Alexandra Rivera-Palmieri (Summer 2016)

Human rights are universally understood as an area of concern across the world. This issue sparked my interest from a personal experience. My mother came to the United States, from Puerto Rico, at the age of eighteen. After leaving her family and taking the initiative, she set out to make her dream a reality. More importantly, she did not know any English and consequently started her journey from the ground up.The struggles my mother endured during her assimilation process to the United States opened up my eyes to human rights of immigrants. Her perseverance to take this leap of faith inspires me to continue learning about the injustices that not only occur on a domestic front, but also an international one.

My democratization class opened my perspective of human rights from both and domestic and international sphere. We specifically looked at numerous countries around the world who were in the process of democratizing and the consequences that followed those decisions. What struck me the most was seeing the variety of human rights issues that occur on daily basis in each country. Every class would continue to spark my interest in working internationally by showing me how much work still needs to be done. The class that helped me the most was when we held a debate. This class allowed me to actively engage in a variety of arguments that I was unaware of and helped me think about my opinions more.

One guest speaker who brought her academic and professional experience was Gina Jones. Whether if it was being deployed on operation IRAQI freedom, to supporting military operations internationally, Gina gave a realistic view of what to expect in the international atmosphere. Her advice opened my eyes to what I would expect when I being working internationally. She highlighted her struggles and what she made of them.

Having the opportunity to intern at the Department of Health and Human Services allowed me to view human rights from a different lens. I specifically worked with Pandemics and Emerging threats which led me to participate in policy and program coordination. Whether it be implementing protection measures for Zika or proposing the US view on solving the current and emerging threat of antimicrobial resistance, protecting the health and well-being of Americans and those across the world should not be overlooked. Working at HHS showed me the importance of serving the American people. Americans rely on our government to make best decisions for their protection, and I am happy to say that I was able to help coordinate policies this summer.

In the next step of my journey, I want to continue to help people like my mother, who did not have a voice. At the end of my career, I hope to look back and point to several things that I helped accomplish and I will not settle until I do so. The Washington experience not only allowed me to challenge myself but also excel in a professional and academic setting.

 

Alex is senior studying International Relations and interning at the Department of Health and Human services. She is broadening her view of international relations by focusing her interests this summer on global health.