Written by Riley Novak, Student Advisory Council Member and intern, Center for Human Rights, Gender and Migration
The Center for Human Rights, Gender, and Migration recently welcomed eleven new members to its Student Advisory Council (SAC). The members are undergraduate and graduate students from WashU’s College of Arts and Sciences, Law School, Medical School, and the Brown School of Public Health and Social Work.
The SAC is one of the primary ways the center engages with students in the WashU community. Student members collaborate in various capacities, usually focused on developing and facilitating events, research, and communications. In the fall of 2023, student members of the SAC researched the application of forensic anthropology to human rights and presented their findings at the Public Health at WashU Annual Conference. The SAC also helped the Center host a dialogue on war and rape in Northern Ethiopia, which was documented by a council member who shared her reflections on the event. Students have also had the opportunity to volunteer with community organizations, such as the International Institute of St. Louis, which works with the local refugee and immigrant population.
This year, new and returning SAC members will engage in programming that tackles the most pressing issues in human rights, gender, and migration. This semester’s focus is on how conceptions of immigration have changed across time and space. SAC members are also looking forward to designing, translating, and disseminating a series of one-pagers that address policy changes under the new administration and their impact on the St. Louis immigrant community.
New SAC member and undergraduate Ketan Tamirisa is pursuing a double major in Biology and Global Health. He states that he applied to join the council because he is passionate about human rights and equity, particularly in healthcare. He added, “I hope to make a tangible difference in the St. Louis community by promoting education and awareness while connecting people from all walks of life.” Tamirisa anticipates achieving this by researching and writing policy one-pagers, which will be shared with local refugee and immigrant organizations. Following the first SAC meeting in February, members look forward to an exciting and busy semester ahead. Learn more about the students in the SAC and stay updated with the SAC by subscribing to its newsletter!