give today for a greener tomorrow

TRUDY REBERT '07

A STUDENT'S PASSION FOR DEVELOPMENT BRINGS HER TO THE WORLD BANK

Macalester offers a community of people interested in how to make the world a more just place,” says Trudy Rebert ’07. Having attended United World College-USA in New Mexico during her last two years of high school, Trudy sought a college where she could foster her interest in fighting social injustice through development. Her search for the right institution came to an end when she visited Macalester and spoke with students on campus. “It was a really good visit,” Trudy recalls.

After deferring admission to Macalester for a year to work in the southern highlands of Tanzania, Trudy initially intended to major in international studies or design her own major, but ultimately decided to concentrate her studies in political science and geography. She worked closely with professors like Professor David Blaney, who nominated Trudy for a Presidential Leadership Award in recognition of her scholarship and contributions to the Macalester community.

“I was really encouraged by my professors,” Trudy says, explaining that faculty support was instrumental to her studies. The close relationships she forged with professors have extended even past graduation. Trudy reports that when she met a former professor for dinner this past summer, “We closed down the restaurant talking,” Trudy recalls. “This is not something my friends at Harvard experienced with their professors.”

Trudy’s studies at Macalester took her into the world, both close to campus and across the globe. Through Macalester’s work-study program, she conducted research for Minneapolis nonprofit YouthCARE. “Mac is focused on learning in the classroom and how it applies to the outside world,” Trudy explains. “I was able to test out the ideas I learned in the classroom in real community settings.” Trudy spent part of her junior year at Macalester studying abroad in India, where she interned with a community development organization in Rajasthan and attended classes in Jaipur. “I left India with a fascination and a desire to better understand how such income inequality and ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity can exist in one country,” Trudy says. “I got to test out some development theories against practical experiences,” she explains. “Many of the non-governmental organizations provided new ways of thinking about the development discourse and practical development strategies.” Since her time in India, Trudy has continued to study Hindi and plans to return to South Asia in the future.

Study abroad also gave Trudy a comparative lens with which to examine the United States. Trudy completed her honors thesis on the immigrant rights movement, exploring her interest in the emergence of new political identities. The yearlong project allowed Trudy to gain skills in field work—she interviewed 20 immigration rights organizers in the Twin Cities and New York. Trudy also presented her findings at professional conferences. “The environment at Macalester allowed me to ask questions and look at things that wouldn’t have been as accepted in other settings,” Trudy says. On the heels of graduation in spring 2007, Trudy headed to Washington, D.C., where she completed an internship at the World Bank as part of a summer institute through the Truman Scholar program, which recognizes future leaders in public service. “I learned a lot, especially about recent shifts in development,” Trudy explains. She was recently offered a position at the Inspection Panel of the World Bank, which is the organization’s accountability arm. Trudy is eager to resume her work assisting with research investigations to ensure that the World Bank meets its standards in development projects around the world.

Macalester College Development Office · 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105  USA · 1-800-645-3919
Comments and questions to webmaster@macalester.edu