Every year, the Center for Social Impact sponsors a trip to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. In October, a group of seven students and faculty members spent a day at the UN. They received a tour of the building, attended UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) briefings, and visited with a Fairfield University alumna whose career path is defined by her passion for social justice.
This year’s trip was special as it was in collaboration with the Jesuit Universities Humanitarian Action Network (JUHAN). Students and faculty from the University of Scranton and Fordham University accompanied the Fairfield cohort for the day, furthering students' connections to the broader Jesuit college community.
Kened Shilla ‘28, a Company Scholar from Tanzania, anticipated that touring "an international organization like the United Nations, which strives to improve the political, social, and economic status of nations all over the world" would benefit his studies and expose him to potential career options. "I was right," he said, "and now working there is a goal of mine.”
To start off the day, students and faculty members explored the UN Headquarters through a guided tour in which they learned about peacekeeping operations, the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Their tour guide told them about innovative efforts to build educational facilities in the Ivory Coast using recycled construction materials.
Following the tour, Blanche Tax, a senior policy advisor at the UNHCR, hosted a briefing. The UNHCR advises countries in their efforts to support refugees through distributing resources and creating protection services for refugee camps. “I loved seeing how they promote understanding and equality as well as protection for refugees worldwide," said Isabella DiAngelo ‘27.
The trip concluded with a special visit from a fellow Stag, Camille Marinelli ’18, senior communications manager at Concern Worldwide U.S., a global humanitarian organization with a mission to provide ongoing support to communities living in extreme poverty. Marinelli shared her career trajectory and described her role at the organization, inspiring students to consider careers that align with their passion for social justice.
Reflecting back on the experience, DiAngelo summed up the trip as “a wonderfully chilling, eye-opening experience” and noted that "we should do what we can for other humans, because in the end, we all bleed red.”
