Jennifer Cook of Windsor, Connecticut, is not one to follow the beaten path. After designing her own major in International Development and graduating from the University of New Hampshire in fall 2009, she now resides in Washington D.C. where she interns for Women Thrive Worldwide. This non-profit organization advocates for policies that give women and families the tools they need to escape poverty. Jennifer works in the Global Partnerships Department, which is responsible for communicating with women’s organizations in the poorest countries and bringing their messages to US policy makers.
Growing up in a tobacco-growing town that relies on migrant labor, Jennifer’s interest in immigration started at a young age. This interest grew stronger while studying abroad in South Africa, where she interviewed Zimbabwean immigrants living in the city of Durban. Hearing their stories, Jennifer couldn’t help but be reminded of the tobacco workers in Windsor, and this prompted her to apply for a 2009 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) to interview migrant farm workers in her hometown. Although she is leaving her career path open, Jennifer is well on her way to fulfilling her goal to advocate for those who do not have a platform to voice their concerns. “Whatever I do, I need to feel like the work I am doing is meaningful and helpful in some way,” she says.
Jennifer Cook’s mentor for her SURF project was Professor Alasdair Drysdale, a faculty member in UNH’s Department of Geography for thirty-four years, whose research interests include population, political geography, and the Middle East. Professor Drysdale also served as Jennifer’s academic adviser for her self-designed major, and as such had the privilege of watching her interest in immigration expand and flourish over her four years at UNH. “Being an educator, it is always rewarding to work with a student as inquisitive and driven as Jennifer Cook is,” says Drysdale.
Read Jenny Cook’s commentary My Summer Under the Tents: Interviews with Migrant Farm Workers in the Connecticut River Valley >>
