Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Holehouse

The Duke Human Rights Certificate program works to cultivate life-long learners and engaged citizens who have a deep and nuanced understanding of human rights. The program asserts that human rights cannot be isolated into one or even a few disciplines and draws on concepts and lived experience of scholars, practitioners, journalists, and communities struggling to defend their rights. The following profile of Duke alum Sarah Holehouse explores the impact the HRC has had on her trajectory.

What first drew you to the Human Rights Certificate program at Duke?

Before ever stepping foot on campus, I knew it was a priority of mine to integrate the study of human rights into my political science education. So, when I learned about Duke's robust Human Rights Center, it made me confident that Duke was the right school for me. In many ways, DHRC was a magnet that drew me to Duke in the first place.   

Which courses, professors, or experiences in the certificate program had the greatest influence on your thinking or direction?

Professor, and former Director, Robin Kirk's introductory and capstone courses were paramount to the program and its impact. The introductory course set up the framework for human rights and positioned our study in the history that came before us. Inversely, the capstone course demonstrated that we, the students, are the future of human rights and can collectively use our study for real-world impact. Bookending the program in this way, underscored by Professor Kirk's wealth of experience, made the certificate program incredibly effective.

How did the interdisciplinary nature of the certificate (history, ethics, political thought, critique, etc.) enrich your learning?

The application of human rights does not operate in a vacuum. In the same way, the certificate course offerings allowed me to explore the many disciplines that intersect with human rights and the different ways human rights can be applied. As a result, I now see and apply the human rights framework everywhere.

How have you been able to apply concepts or skills from the Human Rights Certificate in your professional life (or personal life)?

After graduating, I have been working with the House of Representatives' Committee on Education and the Workforce, particularly through the lens of health and labor policy. As I conduct research, write reports, and prepare for congressional hearings, I pull from the knowledge I gained in the certificate program--especially from understandings of inequity and how social systems can work together to either uplift or push down different groups of people. In the same way, I can also more clearly see how different issue areas, health and labor for example, are intrinsically intertwined. This knowledge, and the practical skills that accompany it, have made me better at my job and a more well-rounded human rights advocate.

Outside of your professional work, is there any volunteer or advocacy effort you’re passionate about (and has your Duke human rights training informed it)?

I am deeply involved with Amnesty International USA, the world's largest grassroots human rights movement, where I contribute to advocacy for a broad range of human rights reforms and the protection of worldwide prisoners of conscience. In making human rights so central to my college experience, I understand the importance of keeping up my advocacy post-graduation. I look forward to maintaining this involvement and continually building community while mobilizing for a better and more just world.

Looking back, what is one insight or lesson from the certificate program that has stayed with you?

Everyone and everything is connected. Therefore, even small changes can set off a chain reaction of impact. For this reason, every person's contributions to making the world a better place are important. The accomplishment of human rights is not defined by one legislative win or a singular protest. It is every little step along the way in a lifetime of commitment to community.