Student Spotlight: Accelerated M.S. in Humanitarian Studies Student Emma Budd

October 1, New York — Emma Budd believes in advocacy work in gender relations. She explores this subject as a student in the GSAS Accelerated Master’s Program in Humanitarian Studies, part of Fordham University’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs. While motivated by her studies and extracurricular activities, she recalls that her journey to this field was not necessarily straight forward. She shares, “I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I knew I was interested in human interaction.”

“I was working with my high school’s Abuse Awareness for Teens group when I went to speak in a health education class about consent. I detested public speaking, but as we presented, I watched peers I’d know since I was seven as their faces changed, and they went ‘ohh.’ And that was the first time I thought I could make a difference advocating in gender relations.” ~ Emma

At first, Emma spent over a year as an assistant teacher for middle schoolers, but soon, teaching wasn’t enough. In her freshman year at Fordham University, she attended an aid worker’s self-critique of his Doctors Without Borders (MSF) mission. This event planted the seed of a new pursuit to study humanitarian aid. For Emma, advocacy became about reaching beyond the classroom, speaking to a broader population about gender-based violence.

As she enters the Accelerated Master’s to pursue her goal, she feels “challenged in a good way; a self-critical way.” As President of the Humanitarian Student Union (HSU), she is no stranger to discussing difficult issues. Never one to sit idle, Emma is deconstructing the savior complex in this weeks’s HSU meeting and preparing for a denuclearization student-conference with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation on October 17, 2019.

“Youth advocacy is growing.” We see examples in things like the movement against climate change. To all those who claim she doesn’t care on account of her age, Emma responds, “Yes, I do. I’m experiencing it, and I’m living it.” Seeking to bring this same passion to the humanitarian world, Emma studies the refugee experience for women with a focus on Afro-European relations. Using the Accelerated Master’s program, she is propelling herself on to work for Delivering Good doing product delivery for disaster relief.

“Whatever program I design should not tell people how to exist. Rather, we should be offering an equal opportunity for people to ask for the tools they need to achieve what they want to achieve.”

Written By: Jeffrey Paddock, Marketing & Communications Graduate Assistant, Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs

About the IIHA
The Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA) prepares current and future aid workers with the knowledge and skills needed to respond effectively in times of humanitarian crisis and disaster. Our courses are borne of an interdisciplinary curriculum that combines academic theory with the practical experience of seasoned humanitarian professionals. The IIHA also publishes on a wide range of humanitarian topics and regularly hosts a number of events in the New York area, including the annual Humanitarian Blockchain Summit and Design for Humanity Summit.

For more information or media inquiries please contact: Camille Giacovas, Communications & Research Officer, cgiacovas@fordham.edu