Global Studies alumni may go on to pursue a variety of career paths in government service, international business, law, international NGOs, or other organizations that deal with international and global issues. Students may also choose to further their education through graduate and professional school programs, including programs in Law, Public Affairs, International Relations, Area or Language Studies, or other areas. If you are a Global Studies alum, we would love to hear what you’re doing and share your news with other alumni. Please contact us at bdp@austin.utexas.edu any time!
Spotlight
Cassy Dorff
Graduated Spring 2010
Undergraduate Major: Government (Spanish minor)
BDP topic: International Conflict
Favorite BDP course: GOV 335M: Might and Right Among Nations
Current graduate/professional program: Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Denver
How did your Bridging Disciplines Program influence your current career path and/or interests?
The BDP program helped me make connections within UT’s community to build my knowledge base of conflict studies and establish a network of individuals who cared about the same avenues of research and intellectual engagement that I did. Most importantly, the BDP program helped me find resources to attend research conferences in political science. This experience undoubtedly prepared me for grad school and opened numerous doors into the academic world of research.
In what ways did an interdisciplinary education prepare you for what you are currently doing?
It made me think in ways that other students don’t. It has helped me learn how to think in a less linear fashion and instead let my mind make connections between topics and ideas. When I answer a question posed by a colleague or professor, my instinct is to draw from other disciplines I’ve worked in, or a study I read in the paper, or a field I dabble in for fun. I’ll pull from psychology and behavioral studies and am not restricted by just the literature my narrow field is supported directly by.
What advice would you give to current BDP students?
Get as much experience as you can outside of the classroom, but that does not mean you should skip out on classes. I think students, especially at large universities like UT, can take their classes for granted. I was most inspired to find interesting opportunities outside of school through the professors and experiences I had inside the classroom.
Read on to hear about what other Global Studies alumni have been doing since they graduated.
Miriam Estrin
Government and Plan II Honors, graduated spring 2008
Miriam conducted undergraduate research at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague to investigate state-ordered atrocities, and her honors thesis examined United Nations and African Union peacekeeping in Darfur. After graduation, Miriam worked at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and at the U.S. Department of State as Special Assistant to the President’s Special Envoy to Sudan. She is currently a student at Yale Law School.