How did you become interested in conflict resolution and how has NECR prepared you for what you are doing now?
I traveled internationally from an early age and was exposed to many different cultures and ways of living. Those opportunities lead to my interest in International Business and International Politics, which I studied at Hofstra University as an undergraduate. I believe that financial negotiations pave the way for mutual prosperity and a better standard of living globally that evolves through interdependence. I also believe that financial dealing between nations brings greater political transparency. NECR has taught me about who and what I bring to the negotiation table and how my worldviews shape my positions. NECR gave me a network of friends, mentors, and resources. It proved to me that my field of interest exists in a formal way and that I have the credentials to pursue my interests formally or otherwise. It has helped boost my confidence in a modest way. I use the term “modest” because it exposed me to an academic world so focused on the topic, that I now know that there is so much more to pursue and to still develop in this field of study. Its application is used in all levels and facets of life and community from the beginning of time, yet we are still in the early stages of understanding the science behind conflict resolution.
Please describe how you are using skills you learned in the program in your current work or field.
I am a better listener, a more prepared negotiator and more creative in formulating solutions. My research skills are also applied on a regular basis and I have become a better reader due to my research experience as well. There will always be several sides to an issue and I am better prepared to make a more informed and objective assessment and to accept that emotion and personal bias will enter into the equation from all parties, including myself.
Have you been able to use your Capstone research in your current work or study?
Yes. My Capstone focused on the Impact of Outsourcing on Women in India. It has made me question the benefits and risks of globalization on indigenous society and culture and women’s role in the home and workplace. It has made me aware of the ambiguity of what is for the “moral good” – a question that comes with industrialization and modernization. I more readily question what underlying systems belie progress and ask what progress looks like. I accept that more than one reality exists where I thought that there was only one truth.
