Current Students

Some of our current students are profiled below. The range of backgrounds and perspectives they bring to the program offers a sense of the diverse interests and goals that can be served with a Master’s in International Studies.

Katherine Acosta was born in Lima, Peru and lived in Caracas, Venezuela until the age of 12. After living in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala she permanently settled in the United States. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Sociology in 2005. During her undergraduate career, Katherine became involved with the KU McNair Scholars Program as well as the KU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Scholars Program, both of which promote post-baccalaureate education. Thanks to their guidance, she was able to selectively consider masters programs in her fields of interest. Katherine decided to attend the University of Kansas to pursue the International Studies Master of Arts program because it encompassed all of her interest through an interdisciplinary curriculum. Katherine works full-time for an educational opportunity program and attends KU part-time; she plans to someday pursue a Ph.D. in social welfare, American studies or higher education administration.

Christie Appelhanz appreciates the flexibility of Master's in International Studies program as she balances her graduate work with family demands and a full-time job as assistant to the dean for outreach, advancement and public relations for KU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. After graduating from KU with a degree in business communications in 1997, she worked as a business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal, managed a voter education campaign for the Sierra Club and handled media relations for Kansas Action for Children. She came to the university in 2006 from the office of U.S. Congressman Dennis Moore, where she served as his director of communications. Christie's most pivotal international experience came as a Peace Corps volunteer in Poltava, Ukraine, teaching economics and business English to high school students and training non-governmental organizations to deal with the media. Recognizing that our future as a society is highly dependent on our understanding of the world and the roles that our country, state and institutions play in international and global matters, Christie looks forward to using the knowledge she gains in the program to help the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reach its goal of enhancing international and global studies.

Maureen Didde joined the MAIS Program in fall 2007 due to her international experiences and interest in economic development in Africa. She graduated from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO in 2004 with a B.A. in Religious Studies. As an undergraduate, she spent a semester in Hong Kong, China traveling throughout Asia, and then spent a month in South Africa shortly thereafter. After graduation, she returned to Hong Kong for an internship. She notes that living there truly opened her eyes to international issues and broadened her world view. When she returned to Kansas City in 2005, she began work as a volunteer with the ONE Campaign "to make poverty history." Through this experience, she learned about AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa and is interested in sustainable ways to address these problems. Currently, Maureen plans to study globalization and economic development in Africa, with a special focus on China's governmental and economic involvement there. The interdisciplinary aspects of the International Studies Program at KU are a perfect fit for her interests as she's ecstatic to mix her two international loves--Africa and China.

Joanna Fewins  “Exposure to international cultures began at an early age at my small country school in southeast Kansas, where programs encouraged students to study foreign cultures and participate in international exchanges.  One such exchange took me and fellow students to Russia, and that’s where my interest in the region began.  After fulfilling liberal arts language requirements with Russian, it became evident that I was hooked and I went on to complete co-majors in Russian and Eastern European Studies and Slavic Languages & Literatures at KU, both of which were a great complement to my other major – Film Studies.  What was so attractive about KU’s International Studies MA program was the fact that I could not only continue my study of Russia and Eastern Europe, but also gain exposure to the world at large and formulate an idea of what our place, as Kansas academics, would be in the scheme of things.  The flexibility of the program as far as course requirements and the focus on evening courses offered through the program sealed the deal for me as a “working professional,” who was eager to pursue further academic study while working at a full-time position with Kansas Public Radio.  As I near the end of my academic career, I am continually grateful that I chose and was accepted to KU’s International Studies MA program.

David Garrett heard about KU's International Studies Program from his son, Ben Garrett, who is also enrolled in the program. David retired from the US Army after 20 years' service; he spent 9 of those years in West Germany during the Cold War, where he met his wife Ilona. After his retirement, he attended Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Missouri and graduated with a double major in geology & geography. David is currently employed as an environmental scientist with the US Environmental Protection Agency. As a non-traditional student, he finds the program's flexibility exciting as his academic interests are varied, having been shaped by his 9 years in Europe. He plans to focus his studies on Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, possibly emphasizing the former Soviet Republics that now make up Central Asia. David hopes to eventually apply his environmental experience to assist the nations of Central Asia in reducing the massive environmental hazards there.

Dwight Goodwin joined the MAIS program in the summer of 2005 to enhance the marketability of his international work experience with a complementary graduate level degree. His international experience includes serving as a youth intern with an international church organization in Bolivia; working as a short-term teacher/administrator at a rural college in Ghana; completing intensive Spanish language training in Guatemala; and working as a teacher, trainer and human resources manager in Japan. Scheduled to graduate in December of 2007, Dwight will pursue a career in humanitarian aid and/or public diplomacy. His master’s thesis considers the empirical effects of economic growth on nascent democracies and whether U.S. foreign policy strategies adequately account for these effects. Dwight received a B.A. in religion from Hobe Sound Bible College in Hobe Sound, Florida.

Huma Khan “Born in Saudi Arabia, I lived in Pakistan for ten years before moving to the United States and making it my permanent home. I graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. I worked as a journalist for a trade publication in Houston before re-committing to the wonderful world of academia in fall 2006. I decided to join the Masters of International Studies program at KU because of my love for global affairs and the desire to expand my horizons. I specifically chose this program because it allows me the flexibility to design my course schedule and tailor it to my needs. I currently work as a freelance reporter for the Kansas City Star, in addition to working as a consultant at the KU Writing Center. In Summer 2007, I will be traveling to Morocco to study Arabic at Al-Akhawayn University under a Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship.”

Laura Sarandal enrolled in the International Studies program at the University of Kansas because of her strong interest in global affairs and her desire to travel the world and familiarize herself with other cultures. She earned a B.A. in Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Laura’s interest in international affairs peaked after meeting her husband, who is from Turkey, and upon learning about her father’s curious experiences in Europe and Northern Africa during the 1950s while serving in the USAF. She has most liked the courses Making Peace and War and The World Economy as they have enabled her to better understand the factors at play when fighting erupts or when peace is generated and sustained. Laura maintains that understanding why some countries are nonviolent and prosperous while others are deprived and engaged in war is central to promoting peace and preventing conflict. With more knowledge she hopes to help others better understand how their actions, or the lack thereof, affect others living miles away. All in all, Laura wants to be a part of the solution to global problems and she is confident that this diverse and spirited program at KU will equip her with the know-how and insights to fulfill her goal.

Sarina Ziv received her B.A. in 2004 from the University of Kansas with a major in Germanic Languages and Literature and a co-major in International Studies.  She is fluent in German and conversational in Hebrew.  Because of her desire to live and work abroad, as well as her passion for academia and international issues, Sarina enrolled in the MAIS program.  She is studying a topical concentration in International Business (with an emphasis on business in East Asia) and is also pursuing a Middle Eastern Studies regional track.  She is most interested in the economic and political relationship between Israel and China.  In addition to her studies, she is currently working as an intern for the KU Confucius Institute. Upon graduation in May of 2008, Sarina hopes to work in an international business or political field abroad and plans to pursue a Ph.D.