Emily Hedin

Hedin__emily

“The driving force behind my academic and professional accomplishments has been commitment to community service. My journey began when I met US Senator Paul Wellstone. I was not old enough to vote, but the Senator's clarion call for social justice captivated me. I had been interested in government structures and the democratic process, yet Senator Wellstone re-oriented me towards an interest in community organizing and empowerment.”

  • Alumni of: 2009 Graduate Scholarship Program
  • Resides: San José, San José
  • Hometown: Hopkins, Minnesota
  • Age: 26

Biography

PROFILE: It was the late Senator Paul Wellstone who was the driving force in Graduate Scholar Emily Hedin’s commitment to community service and trying to make the world a better place. Then a high school student in suburban Minneapolis, Emily chatted with Sen. Wellstone one July afternoon “over refried beans at the Burnsville City Bean Feed.” That brief encounter changed Emily’s life. It gave her future career path a clear direction, and indirectly changed the lives of hundreds of people she has come in contact with through her volunteer efforts and her current work with the Center For Development with Dignity in Peru. She’ll be leaving that country soon to take up residence in England where she’ll be studying International Development at the University of Oxford. Emily went to Peru shortly after her graduation in 2007 from Macalester College to organize human rights workshops and later returned to Lima after spending time in Senegal as a Fulbright Scholar. During her undergraduate days, in addition to being an honor student, she was involved in various service projects including delivering meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, tutoring English to Somali immigrants, and building homes with Habitat for Humanity. “I sought to improve my immediate community through political activism and served communities abroad through Amnesty International.” Emily said all of these accomplishments were driven by the pursuit of an answer to one question: “How can I ethically and effectively lead development among marginalized populations?” 

INSPIRATION: In addition to Sen. Wellstone, there is another man named Paul who had a profound impact on Emily. “Paul Wellstone told me to be the change I wish to see in the world. But it wasn't until I was a student at Macalester that another Paul helped me do just that. Professor Paul Dosh embodied social justice, sparked my interest in Latin America, and showed me how to put what I learned in the classroom to practical use.” In September 2008, Professor Dosh and Emily incorporated a small non-profit organization called Building Dignity that promotes leadership, empowerment, and grassroots development. The Center for Development with Dignity, an innovative community resource center in Lima, is the organization’s first major project.

ASPIRATION:  Emily’s plan is to eventually work with an international development organization, designing empowerment-based programs.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE:  Emily is most proud of having participated in the construction of the Center for Development with Dignity in Peru.

ACCOLADES: Emily was named a Fulbright Scholar in 2007 where she conducted a year of independent research in Senegal. She also received the Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellowship where she organized community workshops on human rights in the poor district of Villa El Salvador in Lima, Peru. She also was awarded a Phillips Scholarship in 2005, in addition to several other academic achievements.

INTERESTING FACT: While living in Senegal, first as a college student and later as a Fulbright Scholar, she learned to speak Wolof.

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