With Any Luck by Ciara

With Any Luck by Ciara - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

My expectations for myself have always been high—perhaps to a fault. I try to constantly move forward, and do not take well to when that pursuit is put on hold or stopped. My favorite Professor from college, Professor Reagan, helped me deal with this by explaining to me that success has less to do with a perfectly chartered course, and infinitely more to do with preparing yourself the best you can for the opportunities that will present themselves to you. He said, “luck does not exist. All you can do is position yourself to take advantage of timing and circumstance. Don’t let yourself miss out on an opportunity because you were not prepared.”

Professor Reagan’s advice is why I am pursuing a Master’s of Human Rights Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies. I know my ultimate goal is to work and live in Africa where I can employ my expertise to promote sustainable change in vulnerable communities, how I get there? That is more ambiguous.

By pursuing this Master’s degree, I will be one step closer to obtaining my goal in three main ways:

1. My educational and work experience have been largely thematic in scope. A regionally specific focus will give me a deeper understanding of the regional and domestic issues at play, and a competitive edge when applying to jobs in international development.
2. It is my opinion that government and development professionals too often see Africa as a zero-sum financial game and overlook the best interests of individual Africans. I believe firmly that by undertaking a human rights law degree I will be well positioned to address the underlying abuses and grievances that cause development issues such as poor rule of law, corruption, and transparency.
3. By learning from the world’s leading experts on human rights in Africa, I will be able to foster and cultivate meaningful relationships with professors and professionals, helping me to build the network I need to have a successful career in international development.

I plan on facilitating this process by continuing my work on with the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiate, and volunteering with an organization such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, or Adam Smith International as time permits. Finally, I have been taking language coursework in French to better position myself to work as directly as possible with actors in Francophone African countries.

Upon completing my dissertation and obtaining my degree, I hope to gain employment with the U.S. Department of State, USAID, or an International Development firm, so that they will send me into the field in Africa. Having worked on human rights issues in Africa from my desks in New York and D.C., I know I will be able to generate the largest impact by engaging with real communities and people. Once I am positioned in Africa, I will be able to employ my legal expertise to promote the effective management of governance and justice-oriented projects.

I want to empower those who are disenfranchised—particularly women and children—by teaching and educating them on the rights that they are afforded by the own constitutions and international conventions. This way, true and sustainable development can take root to help strengthen weak states and societies from within.

With any luck, my ultimate goal of working and living in Africa will come to fruition. I have demonstrated my success at achieving what it is I had set out to do, and know that I can continue to do so. I firmly believe that by obtaining this degree I am positioning myself to be able to take advantage of the opportunities and jobs that will lead me to my ultimate goal. While my path is less traditional that others, I hope you are as driven and impassioned by it as I am. I am unassailably committed to the tenants of human rights, and know that my proven skill and acumen can only be improved upon by further legal education and specialization. With your scholarship and support, I will be one step closer to achieving what it is I have set out to do.

Sincerely,
Ciara Remerscheid