Human Rights Program Welcomes New Assistant Director

The Human Rights Program is excited to welcome our new Assistant Director, Madeline Christensen!

Madeline earned her Master’s degree in Comparative and International Development Education from the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota, and her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Tufts University. Prior to joining the HRP, Madeline supported medical education at the Rural and Metropolitan Physician Associate Programs at the University of Minnesota Medical School, and supported Chinese language and cultural programming at the China Center and Confucius Institute in the University’s Global Programs and Strategy Alliance. 

Growing up, Madeline immersed herself in language and culture, first attending a French immersion elementary school, before taking Spanish classes in high school and eventually learning Mandarin Chinese and studying abroad in Southwest China in college. She described how her decision to pursue international relations was due in part to her wide-ranging curiosity: “I was interested in so many different disciplines; I couldn’t pick just one.” After college, Madeline spent three years living and working in China, including two years teaching at a rural elementary school through the Teach For China Fellowship. 

Now, Madeline will support program operations including financial administration, communications, program and event management, and curricular support. The HRP stood out to Madeline because of the many domestic and international projects it has participated in and pioneered. She hopes to use both her human rights knowledge and her international experience and put it towards the causes of the HRP. While she is still learning about all of the efforts of the HRP, Madeline is looking forward to engaging with a variety of projects and programs, and building relationships with students, faculty, staff, and the broader human rights community in the area.