Alum Leila Hussain (BA ‘18, global studies major and Arabic minor) shares how her time at the Institute of Global Studies helped her find her ideal career after graduation. With a concentration on human rights and justice in the Middle East, she reflects on how her diverse coursework and experiences studying abroad in Oman and Berlin led her to a fulfilling career working with U.S. immigrants.
"Through my studies at the University of Minnesota—and through global studies specifically—I was able to get two scholarships that allowed me to study Arabic in Oman and migration in Berlin, one being the Critical Language Scholarship....Being thrown into another culture for some time changed the trajectory of my life. I really started to commit my life to working with immigrants and working with folks who have been disadvantaged in any way economically and socially and helping to empower them. I think in terms of having the opportunity to study a language that's meaningful to me and to study abroad, it opened my eyes and opened up my world."
