Name: MICHELLE GIN
Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minn
Age: 20
Year in School: Senior

Major/Degree Program: International Studies with emphasis areas in European studies and human rights with a minor in global health.

Internship: Worked in West Africa with two nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, shadowing a physician and assisting with Medical Research Council projects in the field to learn more about Gambian health.

Location: The Gambia, West Africa

“I met with many locals to understand the work that was being done in the community to eradicate the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). Using the knowledge I have gained, I will be hosting a benefit dinner in April 2010 to raise money for one of the NGOs called GAMCOTRAP, at the same time educating the general student and community populations around Iowa City about the issue of FGM. At the benefit dinner there will be items from The Gambia for sale and available in silent auctions, including purses, bags, bracelets, wooden statues, and my photography.”

Highlights: “The mindset of the average Gambian is drastically different from how I have been taught and naturally think. There, FGM is thought to be an honor, a rite of passage, a necessity to control female sexual desire, etcetera. Yet most people do not understand that there is a connection between current health

problems and the female circumcision they experienced years ago. The consequences have physical and psychological long- and short-term effects.”

Career Goals: To pursue an MA in teaching in the area of science education, a career in nontraditional science education, and to work for an NGO somewhere in the world related to health and/or human rights.