Class IV (2006-2007)

Sponsor Club: Fremont, Nebraska, District 5650, USA

During her studies in Journalism at the University of Montana, USA, MJ spent one year abroad attending the University of Ghana, in Accra, where she became familiar with Rotary International.  Further involvement with rotary included an Ambassadorial Scholarship to the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina. MJ has held positions as a photojournalist, worked with the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Services in Puerto Rico, and volunteered with several organizations in Latin America. 

MJ most recently completed an internship with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in their Cairo regional mission. During her time in the Middle East, she mainly worked with Sudanese refugees before their departure for the United States, Canada, or Australia as part of a refugee relocation program.  While in the region, she also visited Jordan and Israel to not only to see the ancient sites, but to also visit former Peace Fellows and learn about their good work. Due in large part because of her experience in the Middle East, MJ has focused her final research project on refugee and ethics.  She hopes to continue in the field of refugee and migration studies when she returns to the U.S. at the end of this year.