As recent Trent graduate Jennifer Boyce prepares for her exciting new role with the United Nations (U.N.) in Thailand, she reflects back on the experiences at Trent that set the stage for this next adventure in her life.
Having developed a taste for international issues through participation in Jamaica Self Help’s exchange program, Ms. Boyce decided to pursue International Development Studies and Indigenous Studies at Trent, especially attracted by the year-abroad programs offered by these two departments. In her third-year she took advantage of the unique opportunity to study abroad in Thailand as part of her degree. The program saw the young student spending nine months in Thailand, several of them in a remote village, as the only English speaker.
“It was hard to be away from everything I knew, but it was a life-changing experience for me,” Ms. Boyce said. “In school we learn so much about theories, but it’s almost like you’re missing that hands-on component. But being in Thailand, and in the village, gave me a chance to do research first-hand with the people that were most impacted. That’s when I realized that this was work I wanted to be doing. It was that essential hands-on component of working with other cultures. I had always thought I wanted to do it, but really getting a chance to do it confirmed that for me.”
While Ms. Boyce attributes her experience in Trent’s year abroad program with giving her the confidence to know she could work overseas, and the language skills to give her a running start on the job. She also says that the open and encouraging atmosphere of Trent had a lot to do with her success as well.
“I think what makes Trent very different is that is strives to help you develop an awareness of yourself and how you are interacting with others,” she said. “It really re-enforces positive spaces and communication, and that has given me a lot of confidence and is something I will carry forward into my future work.”
In May, Ms. Boyce began a three-month internship with the U.N. where she will be working with various countries in the Global South around issues of women’s reproductive health and youth education on HIV-AIDS.
Reflecting on the success of one of his students, Dr. Paul Shaffer, associate professor, of International Development Studies at Trent, said: “Jennifer’s success in securing this highly competitive internationally fellowship with the UN is due not only to her very high level of competency and determination. It may also be attributed to her previous experience in Thailand as a participant in Trent’s Year Abroad Program. Such programs have proved extremely important to facilitate a deeper understanding of issues of international development and social change as attested by the quality of Ms. Boyce’s written work in class. Further, they provide students with valuable hands-on experience, including language skills, which are a decided advantage in a very competitive job market. We wish Jennifer the very best as she embarks upon this new stage in her career.”
Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2014.