Amazing student: Lauren Anderson

A senior from Macon, Lauren Anderson is engaged with unique combination of opportunies at UGA to focus her studies at the confluence of U.S. foreign policy and the international politics of human rights.

Lauren Anderson:

Degree objective:

A.B. in international affairs, A.B. in human geography, minor in African studies and anthropology

During fall semester of my sophomore year, I enrolled in Dr. Amy Ross’ geography of human rights class, which prompted my critical thinking of U.S. foreign policy and the international politics of human rights. Having enjoyed my experiences in the class, I then approached Dr. Ross about CURO research, spending the subsequent spring semester investigating South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the polemics of restorative justice. Last summer, I continued my studies as a CURO Summer Fellow, traveling to South Africa and interviewing students at the University of Stellenbosch about their perceptions of the TRC and present political and social relations. In addition, I also participated in the GLOBIS study abroad Maymester in Stellenbosch, taking courses on South African history and contemporary economic development, as well as completing a series of service-learning initiatives in the Kayamandi township. Besides being able to experience such a beautiful country, the opportunity to work in Kayamandi specifically is something I will always appreciate about the GLOBIS program, and the program’s directors, Dr. Finlay and Dr. Crepaz, did a fantastic job tying in the realities of both past and present South Africa within the context of the country’s future development. 

Currently, I am a Public Service and Outreach Student Scholar, which has given me a greater understanding of the public service and outreach mission of UGA and of the various PSO units on campus. As a PSO Student Scholar, I have spent this past semester interning for Dr. Rusty Brooks in the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s International Center and researching urbanization issues in Shanghai. China. Thanks to Dr. Brooks, the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach and the Office of Service-Learning, I look forward to further developing my research and relations with the Carl Vinson Institute as a PSO Summer Intern in Shanghai. With my internship, I hope to study how Shanghai municipal leaders can better utilize the resources of local universities and organizations to address community needs, similarly to how UGA promotes the three public service pillars of teaching, research and outreach.  Moreover, I also will be taking Chinese language, culture and politics courses at Fudan University with the assistance of the Shanghai Municipal Scholarship, an opportunity made possible by Carl Vinson’s strong relations with the city of Shanghai.