Alexandra Dawley (Bachelor of Arts '13 in Global Studies and Sociology) was selected to become a Rotary Ambassador Scholar after completing her undergraduate degree at VIU. On full scholarship, she pursued a Social Development Master of Arts Degree at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.
As part of her dissertation, Alexandra facilitated research in Jordan and analyzed the formal and informal education programs available to urban refugee youth. When she came back to Canada, Alexandra applied her Arabic language skills and knowledge of forced migration issues to manage individual refugee cases within the Canadian Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program.
Later, she worked for the Federal Resettlement Assistance Program, where she delivered immediate and essential resettlement assistance to Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs) at the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA).
Alexandra currently lives in Budapest, Hungary, where she is an evaluation intern with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
"My time at VIU equipped me with fundamental skills in research methods as well as an interdisciplinary understanding of global political systems," she says. "I am grateful for the quality mentorship provided by my professors, and value the opportunities for meaningful involvement that presented themselves during my undergraduate degree, such as serving as chair of VIU's World University Service of Canada committee. This education opened the door for demanding, meaningful, international experiences."
Read more BA alumni success stories in the ’25 ways to B.A. grad’ series. Twitter Facebook