Alumnae Profiles
Keely Swan '06
Keely Swan '06 was an International Studies major and Women's Studies minor at Franklin and Marshall College. A Marshall Scholar, she completed an honor's thesis under the supervision of Professor Misty Bastian about women's organization and development in India.
She currently works as the coordinator for the international campaign "16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence," which is organized by the Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL) at Rutgers University.
The goal of the campaign is to promote the message that women's rights are human rights and that violence against women constitutes a violation of these rights.
She feels that the most rewarding part of her job is working with women's organizations and women human rights defenders all over the world. As the campaign coordinator, Keely provides people with information about this year's theme and suggested actions and compiles information about what groups have planned for the campaign. In November, she will be attending the AWID (Association for Women's Rights in Development) Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, where she will have an opportunity to meet many of the organizations and individuals that participate in the 16 Days campaign each year. Since CWGL has ECOSOC status, she will also have the opportunity to attend the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations next March, which is also very exciting!
When she arrived at F&M, she already knew she wanted to pursue International Studies, but Professor Zein-Elabdin's course, "Women, Culture & Society" solidified her interest in gender studies. She recalls, "It was one of the most challenging course I took at F&M - not only because of the high level of work that Prof. Zein-Elabdin expected, but also because it was one of the first courses that made me seriously re-examine my understanding of the world." Her experience during her Junior year abroad in Geneva, Switzerland deepened her interest in Women's and Gender Studies. During this semester on the SIT program "International Studies, Organizations, and Social Justice," she remembers she "had an opportunity to study some international women's organizations and human rights groups first hand and do research at the United Nations."
Her career path also builds on her work experience at F&M. For three years at F&M, Keely worked as the student assistant in the International Studies Department, picking up valuable event planning skills and networking with the multicultural groups on campus. She writes, "I think my passion for cross-cultural work was encouraged by having so many friends at F&M that were international students. In short, my time and experiences at F&M definitely helped me take important steps on the path that led me to my current job at CWGL, and I have many wonderful faculty members to thank for their encouragement and guidance along the way!"
