Alumni Spotlight: Courtney McCausland, BS 2014
Courtney McCausland graduated with a major in anthropology, focusing on medical anthropology. She also completed minors in peace and international studies, philosophy and music. She is now an immigration attorney and a college teacher. She writes:
“I began my time at SIUE in 2010 and, once there, I quickly found my home in the anthropology department. I had an early passion for human rights work, and the classes I took challenged me to think about the world in new and exciting ways. I also loved the department’s emphasis on the tangible, hands-on practice of anthropology. I participated in the ethnographic field school in Suriname in 2013 under the direction of Dr. Aminata Cairo, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 2014. I can honestly say that each of the courses I took gave me substantive knowledge and skills that I have carried forward in both my education and my career.
After graduating from SIUE, I immediately began graduate school – pursuing my law degree at Michigan State University. During the course of my J.D. program, I had several opportunities that helped me to hone in my skills and interest areas further. Most relevant, ultimately, were my internships with the UN at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, and with the immigration department at St. Vincent Catholic Charities. Following the completion of my J.D., I began an LL.M. degree in Human Rights Law at the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland. This additional year of study was incredibly beneficial because I was able to further specialize in my interest areas and expand my educational framework beyond the American model, and it provided me with additional qualifications that helped me be competitive in later job applications.
Upon completion of my degrees, I accepted a job as an attorney in private practice with a small immigration firm in Oakland, California. Just over a year later I transitioned into the public sector, accepting a job with Catholic Charities East Bay as an immigration removal defense attorney. In this capacity, I represent families and individuals who have been placed in deportation proceedings by the U.S. government. My clients now are largely asylum seekers from the Northern Triangle, but I have represented people with a variety of cases from all over the world. My background in anthropology and the world view and inter-cultural communication skills it provided, has been absolutely essential to my success in this role. Most recently, I have also started teaching as a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Each stage of my education and career has built upon the last, but it all began with my foundation at SIUE!”
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