Sabrina Harris (formerly Schneider)

After graduating from Lehigh in 2007, I took a Fellowship position with the City of Philadelphia Commerce Department, which turned into a permanent position after the first year. But after a little over two years working in Philadelphia, I switched my career path to work in the field of study abroad, which has always been close to my heart, having come to the US and Lehigh as an international student myself. My husband and I moved to Reno, Nevada and I took a position as University Relations Coordinator with the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC), a non-profit study abroad organization. I’ve since moved into the position of University Relations Manager, in charge of the University Relations team, our Scholarship & Alumni efforts, and various faculty initiatives. I find it incredibly rewarding to work with universities, advisors, faculty, and students on a daily basis to facilitate life-changing study abroad experiences for the students. I believe that it was thanks to the IR department and its outstanding faculty and staff that I am where I am today. Without Professor Menon encouraging me to declare my major after taking his intro class and the subsequent courses I took with all IR faculty, I may not have chosen this career path. My IR education definitely strengthened my belief in the importance of young people going out and truly learning about the world in order to avoid and resolve conflicts. True cross-cultural understanding, which can only come from leaving one’s home country, will be key to making the world a better place!