Each year, programs and departments in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) recognize a distinguished member of the alumni. This year, Latin American Studies recognized Claire Forman, who earned her BA in Latin American Studies in 2009.
This is what Claire had to say about her experience as a LAS major, and her work and research in Latin America.As a student in the Latin American Studies program at George Mason University, I came to appreciate the complex arrangement of governments, economies, and communities. Latin America is a region with a strong identity, but weak institutions, and this was no more apparent than when I spent time studying and working in Argentina, Honduras, and Peru.
In July 2006 I traveled outside of North America for the first time to Buenos Aires, Argentina, through Mason's Center for Global Education. Here I began to understand the delicate balance between a desire for economic security and social liberty. In the summer of 2007, I spent nearly three months in La Ceiba, Honduras, working at a local boys' home operated by Feed the Children and spending time with women entrepreneurs through a microloan organization, the Adelante Foundation. Here I met children and families with the will to succeed but little to no return on any financial or educational investment. In December 2007 I traveled to Lima, Peru, with Mason professor Dr. Jo-Marie Burt to observe the initial proceedings of the nation's first human rights trial of a former head of state. Ultimately convicting former president Alberto Fujimori of various charges, I watched as the nation, conflicted in its perception of a violent past, held Fujimori accountable while simultaneously disavowing the groups he sought to erode. All of this instilled in me an exceptional appreciation for the power of individual responsibility, free markets, and effective rule of law. I have since dedicated my professional career to encouraging the further study, advocacy, and implementation of these ideas.
Claire completed her BA in Latin American Studies and Global Affairs in 2009 with a minor in Economics. She went on to complete her Master's in Public Administration at George Mason University with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. Her career has consisted of program and fundraising roles for a state-based policy organization in Michigan, the George Mason University Office of Advancement as well as the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and presently with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University (an economic policy research center).
January 06, 2016