Major Moment: International Studies with Emma Gross '25

Outside of her work for the Admissions Office as a tour guide, Emma (pictured center) is also the musical director for an a-cappella group on campus called The Night Owls, as well as an enthusiastic participant in Craft Collective, an arts and craft-focused student-run club.  Like many students, Emma started at Bryn Mawr certain of an intended major, but switched paths in her freshman year to one that more closely aligns with her interests. This didn’t mean giving up her original plan entirely though, as her current path includes her initial major as a minor.  

What is your major and how did you first become interested in it?  

I am an International Studies (IS) Major, and I first started getting interested in it when I took a course about global popular uprisings my freshman year. I fell in love with the way IS looks at the world from all different lenses and how it allows me to explore political phenomena from a more humanitarian perspective. 

Did you enter college knowing what you wanted to major in? How have the classes you’ve taken at BMC either confirmed your interest in the major or surprised you with a new interest?  

I came into college certain I would be a political science major. However, even though I do love political science (it is my minor), I realized that I wanted to look at the world in a more diversified way which I felt an IS major could better offer. The classes that have really confirmed my interests and allowed me to explore new interests have been Popular Uprisings in Global Comparison, Transitional Justice, Short of War: Compellence and Deterrence, and Global Ethical Issues.  

Favorite class you’ve taken for your major?

In Global Ethical Issues, a philosophy class, we explored different moral and ethical points of discussion that are at the center of a lot of discourse and conflict globally such as cultural relativism versus ethnocentrism, ethics of immigration, terrorism, and responsibility. I appreciated this class because the goal was to get out of any preconceived political mindsets we may have had and focus purely on ethical and moral reasoning. I enjoyed being able to examine these topics as existing in a grey area with no definitive right or wrong answer necessarily but seeing how morality informed what we thought the correct course of action was in different contexts. 

What experiential learning opportunities have you had with your major?  

While not directly associated with my major, I held an internship last summer in Philadelphia at the Nationalities Service Center in the Survivor Services department and my education in international studies really informed my choice to apply and work there. I worked predominantly with social workers and a legal team to help connect immigrant survivors of torture, human trafficking, and domestic violence with social resources and conduct screenings about their experiences.  

How has choosing this major shaped your post-graduation plans?   

This major has definitely heavily influenced my post grad plans. I am hoping to go for my master's degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution and then hopefully work in either transitional justice or for an NGO working with global peace and conflict mediation practices.  

What advice would you give a students about the process of declaring a major?  

Be open to anything! The best thing you can do is allow yourself to explore and try as many new things as possible and then run with what feels the most exciting. If you only do what you think you’ll like or what you assume for yourself, you may miss out on trying something that really fascinates you!