Apply
People

Erin Bourque

Political Science | International Affairs, BA

Graduated in 2019

With such a diverse set of interests, it was difficult at first for Erin to choose an undergraduate course of study. She chose Northeastern because of its emphasis on cultivating marketable skills, such as foreign language fluency, as well as foundation skills of writing clearly and reading critically. Erin graduated in 2019 with a Political Science and International Affairs combined major with a concentration in Security Studies and minors in Russian and History.    

Related Schools & Departments

Related Research Centers

Erin’s Path

Studying International Affairs combined with Political Science at Northeastern was a logical choice to combine foundational skills with hard skills like foreign language fluency.

Combined Majors

Erin completed two research-based co-ops at the Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern where she was able to dive into a multidisciplinary approach to security, specifically resilience.

Global Resilience Institute

One co-op research project included utilizing “ugly” produce as a way to reduce food waste in the U.S., to explore food security, and enabling redistribution of fresh food to the community.

GRI Student Alumna

Transformative coursework included International Conflict and Negotiation with Professor Kimberly Jones. At the heart of this class was a lesson in empathy, and by extension, introspection.

Professor Kimberly Jones

With the foundational knowledge learned on a summer Dialogue to Lithuania, Erin was able to secure an international co-op in the Political/Economic section at the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Dialogues of Civilizations

Through experiential learning, Erin had the ability to work in the area of her interest, volunteer at a nonprofit and as an English teacher. She had 16 months cumulative time abroad in six countries.

Experiential Learning
“I grew up with news and political commentary shows constantly on the TV and radio, interning for a Democratic congresswoman and attending Republican political rallies, and speaking across the country as a youth activist.”  She added, “I grew up valuing my voice and its power, its ability to effect positive change and responsibility to do so. Still, I knew I wouldn’t be nearly as effective without being well-informed and engaged with the world.”

More Student Paths

Charles T. Wallace-Thomas IV

  • Charles took "Sustainable Renewable Energy Development in the Global South" with Professor Shalanda Baker, which pushed him to further question systems as they exist, no matter their entrenched in society.
  • He did community service as part of the Ujima Global Leaders Program through the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute. He worked on the Timebank team, helping give back to local communities.
  • Charles split his time for his first co-op between the Center for Economic Democracy and the Boston Ujima Project, where he analyzed studies on community needs, including infrastructure and childcare.
  • He was one of the co-creators of the #BlackAtNU campaign and advocated for racial literacy courses and a restorative and transformative justice center on campus.
  • Charles made his own research project- a macroeconomic index to measure democratic participation in municipal economies, partnering with NU, the Columbus Foundation and the Center for Economic Democracy.
  • He worked at the Participatory Budgeting Project as a Program Associate, helping city systems and other organizations actively decide how to invest money across different spaces.
  • Charles graduated in 2022. ..

Casey Greenleaf

  • Casey took Global Markets and Local Cultures. After traveling, she better saw how the coursework mirrored real life, and knew her education was preparing her for the world.
  • She went on a DOC to Argentina and Uruguay, and become highly proficient while living in Buenos Aires and visiting the glaciers of the Patagonia region.
  • Casey completed her first co-op at the Museum of Fine Arts as a community arts program assistant. She gained valuable hands-on experience assisting in arts classes for local communities.
  • She joined the Sociology & Anthropology Student Association during her third year. It allowed her to get to know her fellow students and mirrored the small school experience she loved.
  • Casey studied abroad in Nepal for her capstone thesis. She lived alone for a month while she researched and wrote about the lived experience of climate change in the lower Himalayas.
  • She worked for the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, founded by Professor Sarah Wylie. She produced promotional videos, developed a virtual research event, wrote event programming, and more.
  • Casey graduated in 2020. ..

Sunita Pfitzner

  • Sunita took Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection, taught by Professor Risa Kitagawa. The course invited students to question the motives behind acts of violence against governments.
  • She traveled on a Dialogue of Civilizations to Jordan and Egypt; while there she grew interested in Middle East politics and the Arabic language.
  • Sunita worked at the Institute for Economics and Peace in Sydney, Australia, where she analyzed data on the corruption of police forces in Mexico.
  • Sunita was a member of the International Relations Council and traveled abroad with the club to compete in Model Arab League, Model NATO, and Model UN conferences.
  • Sunita conducted research with Berna Turam, developing a greater understanding of the Mediterranean migrant crisis. She also researched the feminist response to Covid-19 with Val Moghadam.
  • She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2022.
  • ..
Northeastern student Yasser Aponte works at The Food Project to help deliver fresh food to local communities in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Yasser Aponte

  • Yasser was in the Foundation Year program at Northeastern. The program was a rigorous deep dive into core subject classes that helped Yasser bridge the gap between his high school and college experiences.
  • He took Issues in Cities and Suburbs with Professor Erin Graves in Fall 2018. As someone deeply invested in urban life, he found the course was an enlightened look at the problems endemic to cities.
  • Yasser joined the Boston Beer Company as a Program Operations and Event Assistant for his first co-op. He worked on inventory, public relations, brewery events, and workspace organization.
  • He implemented community gardens all over Boston on deserted plots of land during his time as the Northeastern Campus Director for the campus’ United Nations Millennium Fellowship.
  • Yasser maintained a farm in Dorchester for The Food Project. He harvested crops, distributed produce through donations and food markets, and worked on overall logistics.
  • In 2020, Yasser won the Community Service Leadership award, given to students who show exemplary community engagement. He was recognized for his work at The Food Project, Northeastern Crossing, and more.
  • He graduated 2022 with his Bachelor’s in International Affairs and Religious Studies and his Master’s in Security and Resilience Studies, through Northeastern’s PlusOne program...