Read about this month’s International Studies Alumni Spotlight. Alumni were asked to share how their International Studies major or minor has influenced their path after graduating from the University of Michigan.
September 2020
Leah Granzotto
BA International Studies (International Security, Norms and Cooperation); BA Spanish ‘14
Hometown: Saugatuck, Michigan
University of Michigan Affiliations: Alpha Delta Pi, HerCampus.com Marketing Team, Panhellenic Association
“As an International Studies major, I took a number of human rights courses such as Human Security, Fighting with Human Rights, and Tracking Human Rights. I had dreams of working for an international non-governmental organization to positively impact the lives of others. Like some of my fellow classmates, my life didn't exactly lead me to work internationally, but I did find my way to working for an education nonprofit in Boulder, Colorado called Greenhouse Scholars. I am a Program Management Associate at Greenhouse Scholars where we cultivate extraordinary leaders to change the trajectory of low-income families and communities. We work with our Scholars throughout their four years in college and provide them with a “Whole Person Program” of personal, professional, and financial support. My job is to help our Scholars (a majority of whom are BIPOC) not only succeed in college but also prepare for life after college, and grow their impact in the communities, both domestic and international, that they care about. Previous to working at Greenhouse Scholars I worked as a recruiter for Medix, a national staffing company. Through that organization, I got to fulfill a little of my original dream and spent time volunteering with an NGO in Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa. Coincidentally, that job actually introduced me to the organization I work for now! Though I didn't end up living and working abroad, my International Studies major gave me a wider view of the world, and provided me with knowledge I still rely upon today, 6 years later.”
