Jessie Sullivan is a senior with aspirations and interests as impressive as her accomplishments. Originally from Darien, Connecticut, Sullivan is a double concentrator in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies at Colgate. She wishes she could also major or minor in Women’s Studies.

Currently, Sullivan is working on her senior thesis, which explores the role of feminism and socialism in the individual lives of female militants in the Kurdish Worker’s Party and in their war against the Islamic State.

Sullivan has been extremely active throughout her four years at Colgate. She is currently a member of the Konosioni Senior Honors Society, serves as the Senior Executive Advisor for the Student Government Association, the student founder and facilitator of Bystander Intervention and is an intern for the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees.

Sullivan loves traveling and is very interested in pursuing such adventures in the future. She went abroad to Morocco in the fall of her junior year at Colgate and last summer went solo backpacking through the south of France.  

Last summer Sullivan also worked for Shaw Wellness Center and the Center for Student Leadership and Involvement.  

 “I have learned a lot about the institutional management of Colgate. It reminded me that you have to learn the rules backwards and forwards before you break them,” Sullivan said. 

Sullivan is still deciding exactly what she wants to do professionally, but she knows she wants to  help advocate for refugees, especially during this time in the EU. 

With regard to the future, Sullivan dreams of working for the U.S. government, potentially in the state department, to strive for security and upholding human rights in the United States’ domestic and international engagements. She is also interested in human rights law and hopes to be heavily involved inthis industry.

“Colgate has been fun and difficult and interesting and important…I am so thankful for all of the experiences that I have had and all the people I’ve come into contact with,” Sullivan said.  

Sullivan had advice for underclassmen who still have plenty of time left at Colgate.

“Spend as much time as you can learning about the things you don’t understand, including yourself,” Sullivan said.