Advocating for the “Capacity to Aspire”: Spotlighting HRI Assistant Léocadia Tchouaffé
Master of Human Rights (’25) student Léocadia Tchouaffé has a heart for advocacy. After graduating from George Washington University (GWU) with a B.A. in political science, a minor in history, and an interest in Sub-Saharan African Studies, Tchouaffé put her skills to use in the international development field, working with advocacy organizations like the ONE campaign, which is focused on cultivating economic opportunities in the African continent. Now a current MHR student, Tchouaffé is a graduate assistant working with the Human Rights Initiative (HRI), a collaborative project between the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs (HSPA), which promotes interdisciplinary engaged research and teaching in the field of human rights to strengthen practice and the profession overall. Tchouaffé’s contributions are vital to the work of the HRI.
“You Need to Put in the Work”
As an undergraduate student, Tchouaffé traveled to France and volunteered in a refugee camp. After graduating from GWU in 2019, she worked for the ONE campaign, an organization that tackles a wide range of international development issues in Africa, from extreme poverty alleviation to the treatment of preventable diseases. When asked about the intersection between grassroots work and academic research, Tchouaffé spoke about the importance of spending time on the ground and partnering with advocacy organizations. “There’s nothing more real than being on the ground,” she says. “You can learn so much about policy work in an academic setting, and you can try to make changes. But [without advocacy and volunteer experience], you don’t fully understand what it’s like to be on the ground.” Putting in the volunteer work and witnessing real-life conditions helps Tchouaffé better reframe her global perspective, making her more effective at communicating the importance of international development goals to congressional officials and community members. Tchouaffé’s extensive background in advocacy and volunteer work has helped her develop into a strong academic and policy analyst.
Supporting the Human Rights Initiative
Tchouaffé’s desire to utilize her advocacy and volunteer experience in the policy sphere led her to the Master of Human Rights Program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. She works closely with Human Rights Initiative Director Amelia Shindelar, where her main duties include reviewing grants submitted by UMN faculty members conducting critical human rights research, organizing large events and providing administrative support. According to Tchouaffé, the best part of her work for the Human Rights Initiative is reading about the incredible projects that faculty members are conducting in the field. “There is a poet who is doing human rights work,” Tchouaffé says. “There’s someone at the medical school. There’s even someone doing work with an arts festival. They are all doing human rights work in different ways, and that’s really cool.” Witnessing the interdisciplinary work and intersection of human rights with diverse fields, media, and topics is what makes Tchouaffé’s job unique.
Tchouaffé assists with other HRP programs as well. One of her greatest accomplishments is working on the planning committee for the HRP’s first Human Rights Day Symposium, “Celebrating the Movement, Charting Change,” last December. The Human Rights Day Symposium celebrated Human Rights Day on December 10, honoring the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The event spotlighted efforts to defend human rights and featured a poster presentation session, which Tchouaffé supported. “We had a great turnout,” Tchouaffé reports. “It was really cool to open the HRP up to the entire university.” She says that the most meaningful part of her work is that she is able to leave a personal legacy behind after she graduates, hopefully inspiring and assisting future generations of HRP students. “They might change it in the future,” she says with a smile, “but the foundation has already been built, and I got to be a part of that.”
Looking to the Future
After graduating, Tchouaffé hopes to work in the development sector despite the challenges and changing prospects of the field. Currently, she is considering pursuing policy analyst or government roles or possibly positions focused on corporate social responsibility, where she will be able to utilize her knowledge and experiences. Tchouaffé will undoubtedly bring a meaningful understanding of human rights to any position—her definition of human rights boils down to the “capacity to aspire,” a concept in development that refers to ensuring access to the basic necessities all human beings need to thrive. “When people have their basic rights, no matter who they are, they have the capacity to do great things,” she says. “When you have food, clothing, shelter, you don’t have to worry about fighting for your life. You can think about changing the world.”
As she nears the end of her academic journey, Tchouaffé has words of wisdom for young students interested in human rights advocacy. “Keep an open mind,” she advises. “Expose yourself to everything. If you see a cool opportunity, take it.” She also emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with diverse peers and learning from them, saying, “I’ve probably learned more from my peers and friends about what human rights means to them than I’ve learned in the classroom, because they all have firsthand experiences that I don’t have.”
Open-mindedness is ultimately the most important quality in Tchouaffé’s eyes. “You have to keep an open mind in this field because you are going to encounter things that will rock your world, and you have to be ready for your world to be rocked,” she says. “If you can take that with grace, you’ll be fine.”
