Ph.D. Candidate at Northwestern University Research Assistant at the Institute for Policy Research Through various campus ministries at Olivet, Katie Fitzgerald interacted with the homeless population and county jail inmates in the local community. Additional travels to Burkina Faso and Papua New Guinea collectively exposed her to the great needs and injustices around the world. Wrestling with how to use her math degree to address these pressing needs, Katie pursued an internship with Barna Group following her junior year and with World Vision following her senior year. Through those experiences, she discovered the need for statisticians in global development and social policy. “I came to appreciate statistics as a unique opportunity to combine my love of numbers and mathematics with my Gospel-informed desire to work towards justice,” she says. Now, as a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University, her training in statistical methods for social policy has broadened her understanding of how statistics can be used for social good, whether that be in addressing homelessness or unequal access to education. Her experiences at Northwestern opened doors to address questions about maternal and child health in Kenya; facilitate discussion among inmates at the Cook County Jail about data ethics in the criminal justice system; and study how to use data to address human rights abuses. Eventually, she would like to pursue a career as a professor at a liberal arts university. “Data and statistics have the power to unearth knowledge, to illuminate injustices and to tell stories that otherwise remain hidden, which can, in turn, empower people to think and perhaps respond differently in the world,” Katie says. “I am excited to expose future students to the many possibilities for using data for social good in their spheres of interest.”
Master of Business Administration and Nonprofit Management Certificate at ONU While Rebecca Plomero always knew that she wanted to work in the nonprofit sector, it took some time for her to figure out what specific area interested her. However, the MBA program at Olivet and her graduate assistant position in the University’s Office of Development have increased her passion for fundraising. A unique aspect of Olivet’s MBA program is small class sizes. Rebecca has benefited from the relationships she has built with her professors and classmates. She is confident that those connections will benefit her future career endeavors after finishing the program. “The past few years at Olivet have been so great,” Rebecca reflects. “I have been able to create new friendships that will last a lifetime, earn a great education and grow in my faith. I knew the first time I stepped foot on Olivet’s campus that my time here was going to be very special.”
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KATIE FITZGERALD
’15, ONU Major: Mathematics
REBECCA PLOMERO
’19, ONU Major: Public Relations and Strategic Communication