- Fair Labor Association Fellowship
- Ian Fishback Human Rights Fellowship
- International Human Rights Fellowship
- Korea-Michigan Human Rights Research Fellowship
- Robert J. Donia Graduate Student Fellowship
- Social Change Initiative Fellowship
- Student-Initiated Summer Internship Fellowship
- Syria Justice and Accountability Centre Fellowship
- Fellowship for Research to Advance Global Health & Human Rights
- Raoul Wallenberg Human Rights Practitioner Fellowship
Awarded to U-M undergraduate or graduate students to intern with the Fair Labor Association in Washington, DC.
Sienna Drew
Major: Double-majoring in International Studies and Spanish, with a Business minor
Class 2026
“For 10 weeks, I had the opportunity to work with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) as a Summer Intern for their Fair Compensation team. During this time, I learned important lessons about wage equity and technical skills, helping me pursue my educational and career goals.
One way my internship furthered my educational goals was its international scope. As an International Studies major, I am passionate about exploring the systems through which diverse communities, cultures, and nations are connected throughout our world, especially when it comes to addressing human rights. At FLA, I learned the importance of communication between companies and their global suppliers, witnessing how poor supply chain management can directly affect the livelihood of workers thousands of miles from the company’s headquarters. I furthered this understanding through working on a Pakistan Wage Trends report.
For this project, I analyzed wage data collected from FLA member company suppliers and demonstrated a sizeable gap between the average Pakistani worker’s net wage and the living wage in 2022 and 2023. Through contextual research, I provided recommendations for companies to close this gap and advance wage equity at their production sites. This process required a nuanced understanding of international business, which furthered my academic goal of applying business knowledge, honed through my Ross minor, to international issues.”
Lily Liang
Major: Economics and Statistics
Class 2027
“To strengthen FLA’s internal knowledge and expertise on living wage and living income at the smallholder farm level, I surveyed the existing literature and developed a 20-page research guide. This report examined methods of estimating living income, strategies for raising farmers’ income, and case studies across diverse supply chains worldwide. I also collaborated with Sienna, another FLA fellow, to update living wage benchmarks such as legal minimum wages in multiple countries, enabling comparison of actual wages against different criteria. Through these projects, I refined my ability to find, synthesize, and structure information, while also learning to communicate my findings effectively. More importantly, the process encouraged me to critically reflect on my own training as an economics student. While economics models labor markets through supply and demand functions, equilibrium, and calculations, these frameworks often overlook the complex, multifaceted challenges and ethical dimensions of labor markets. Engaging with the concept of living income gave me a new perspective on human rights within development and labor economics, broadening the way I approach my academic studies.”
