Emma Willette

Fulbright-Queen’s University Belfast Award in Global Security and Borders

Emma graduated from Siena College with a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish. Within her undergraduate coursework, she focused on migration, policing, and gender, completing her degrees with a semester-long research paper on the crisis of femicide within the United Mexican States. 

As an undergraduate student, Emma volunteered as an education facilitator at Rochester Refugee Resettlement Services, working with students from refugee families as a mentor and educator, as well as interned with The Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington D.C. As an intern with the Woodrow Wilson Center, Emma aided in the editing of their quarterly publication on global displacement and provided event coverage for their academic and international political discussions. Emma also spent a semester studying at Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao, Spain, where she witnessed the cultural and societal impacts of borders between the Basque region of Spain and the rest of the county. At Queen’s, Emma intends to continue focusing on the gendered experience of migration and displacement by studying the adverse impact borders and security policy have on women and girls. Following her time at Queen’s University Belfast, Emma plans to continue to work with non-profit and non-governmental organizations to provide community aid and work in an advocacy role to support displaced women and girls. She looks forward to living in Belfast and exploring the city, visiting museums and historical sites, and making new connections and friendships as she integrates into the Belfast community.