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<\/a>Samia Kemal \u201914, top right, tells of her summer with Amnesty International<\/p><\/div>\n
These days the East Hartford resident\u2013who, in collaboration with Tortora Sillcox Family Scholar Bryan \u201cCharley\u201d Wedeen \u201912 and Sean Snyder \u201913, a recipient of several scholarships, coordinated 2012\u2019s high-profile A Day in a Wheelchair event on campus\u2013is busy establishing a career. Last year Duquette, a Susanna and Solon Lawrence Scholar, served as a congressional intern through the American Association of People with Disabilities\u2019 Summer Internship Program and, later, worked for EIN SOF Communications, a Los Angeles-based strategic marketing, public relations, accessible events, and employment consultation firm. Currently she is working with the Connecticut General Assembly\u2019s Education Committee. Since last June, she has been a regular contributor on disability issues to The Huffington Post<\/i>.<\/p>\n Donna-Dale Marcano, center, became head of Trinity\u2019s Human Rights Program in the fall of 2013.<\/p><\/div>\n Farmington resident Anna Gordon \u201912, after graduating from Trinity, completed three internships in the nation\u2019s capital with organizations involved in fundraising and international development. Like any good networker, she built lasting relationships with each of her short-term employers. The work she did for GlobalGiving, which helps grassroots organizations worldwide develop more effective fundraising strategies, led to a more permanent job. In January she moved to Thailand to work with We women, a foundation devoted to empowering women in Burma to assume roles of power locally and nationally.<\/p>\n Duquette and Gordon are only two of the many alumni of Trinity\u2019s novel Human Rights Program. Alumni have spread across the planet, sowing the seeds of equality and hope worldwide through their work with organizations addressing issues such as health care, AIDS\/HIV services, disabilities, and gender equality.<\/p>\n Trinity\u2019s Human Rights Program was the first such program at a U.S. liberal arts college. Introduced in 1998, it offered students an opportunity to design their own curriculum, with a strong emphasis on courses related to human rights. Participating students also may take part in summer fellowships to put their newfound knowledge to work in the world. Currently there are 17 students in the program, says Associate Professor of Philosophy Donna-Dale Marcano, who became the head of the program in the fall of 2013.<\/p>\n Posse Scholar Stephanie Clemente \u201914 takes part in the 2013 Summer Fellows Symposium last fall, describing her work with the Clinton Global Initiative.<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cWe look for students for whom human rights is a primary research focus, and we work hard to make sure the program is not merely theoretical,\u2019\u201d says Marcano. \u201cWe do a good job of making sure that human rights is not just an issue that happens \u2018over there.\u2019 It\u2019s important for our students to have opportunities to travel whenever possible, not just for classes, but for real, experiential opportunities on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, students served summer fellowships\u2013which, since the program\u2019s inception, have been funded by alumnus Peter Blum \u201972, P\u201912\u2013with several prestigious organizations, including the Clinton Global Initiative, a program launched by former President Bill Clinton to convene global leaders to help solve the world\u2019s most pressing challenges; the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, which seeks to eliminate discrimination through law enforcement and to promote equal opportunity and justice through education and advocacy; the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI), which partners with communities to promote economic and social rights; Amnesty International, which is dedicated to promoting human rights; the International Rescue Committee, which provides assistance to refugees forced to flee by war or disaster; and WITNESS, an international nonprofit that employs video storytelling to focus public attention on human rights abuses.<\/p>\n George Kneeland Scholar Reshoketswe Mapokgole \u201914, bottom right, discusses her experience with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights.<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cThe Human Rights Program is terrific,\u201d says Maggie Lawrence \u201914, a Class of 1963 Scholar from South Carolina who completed a fellowship with NESRI. \u201cThe classes are both interesting and challenging, and students have real opportunities to work with human rights organizations. NESRI focuses on human rights to education, health, housing, and work with dignity. During my 10-week fellowship, I had opportunities to work across programs on taxation, state budgeting, and equitable systems. It was a great learning experience.\u201d<\/p>\n It is experience that Lawrence hopes will come in handy when, after graduating, she looks for work with an international nonprofit. She\u2019ll also have the advantage of a built-in network, 15 years of Trinity alumni who\u2019ve graduated from the Human Rights Program and gone on to rewarding careers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Jim H. Smith, photos, Richard Bergen Kristin Duquette \u201913 doesn\u2019t swim competitively anymore. Though she\u2019s only 23, the five-time American Paralympic record holder, three-time Junior National record holder, and captain of the U.S. team at the Greek Open in … Continue reading <\/a><\/a><\/a>