Allison Howard’s mission is to change the world. More specifically, the Basking Ridge, N.J., native hopes to serve as a beacon of hope for the world’s citizens who have been devastated by war, violence and human rights abuses.
Howard is a senior psychology major with a double minor in English literature and African-American Studies pursuing an Honors Program degree with international experience, one of the university’s most rigorous degree programs. She discovered her passion for helping those who can’t help themselves through participation in an international politics conference held in Strasbourg, France. “One of the conference’s small group discussions focused on human rights abuses, and I was disgusted with what I heard,” said Howard. “I thought ‘something has to be done about these atrocities.’”
As president of Winthrop’s African Awareness Coalition and secretary/treasurer of the university’s Amnesty International chapter, Howard, a Rhodes Scholar candidate, tirelessly works to share the struggles that so many face throughout the world. Her commitment to Amnesty International has been so strong and her leadership efforts so exemplary that she was selected to serve as a student area coordinator in the state of South Carolina and as an assistant intern to the director of Amnesty International USA’s mid-Atlantic region in Washington, D.C. In addition, she also sought out and completed an internship with the More than Me Foundation, an organization committed to the education of young girls in Liberia. She successfully balanced these endeavors while still serving in various leadership roles on campus as an emerging leader, peer mentor, vice president of membership for the Winthrop Ambassadors, study abroad peer counselor and secretary of the Winthrop University Honors Association.
As for her future plans, Howard, who studied abroad in the United Kingdom and Ireland, will complete a two-year, Detroit, Mich., assignment with Teach for America before earning a graduate degree in clinical social work. She also hopes to establish Counselors without Borders, an international non-profit dedicated to providing sustainable services and free counseling centers to people who have been devastated by gross human rights abuses, particularly the people of Africa.
“My goal is to inspire and instill hope wherever I can. Just because human rights abuse is a large problem doesn’t mean individuals can’t make a difference. I’m trying to challenge the idea of powerlessness by instituting change,” said Howard.
Last updated: 1/18/2012