From Global Education to Local Action: Stephanie Tice Works Towards a Better World

Master of Human Rights alum Stephanie Tice began her career teaching Spanish in Minnesota and around the world. Today, she uses her passion for human rights and education to connect people with resources and knowledge to improve their lives. 

Growing up in rural Minnesota, Tice found a passion for her Spanish language classes, which inspired her to study in Mexico as a foreign exchange student, and to major in Spanish in college. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with a Master's in Spanish Literature and Cultures, Tice worked as a Spanish educator, both in Minnesota and internationally in Kuwait and the Cayman Islands. 

Tice joined the Master of Human Rights program and pursued a concentration in international peace and security. For Tice, one of the most meaningful parts of the program was gaining an understanding of the universality of human rights, where violations occur, and the structures that exist, including the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice. “So, you know, understanding that there are mechanisms in place to hold countries accountable, offenders accountable, and while imperfect, they do exist,” she says. 

Advocacy and Support for Immigrant Communities 

Ultimately, Tice decided to focus her work on local advocacy. “It's really where change, societal change, takes place, is at the grassroots level,” she says. After graduating from the MHR program, Tice moved into a role doing education rights outreach for Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS). Under a COVID-era grant, Tice was able to travel around the state giving talks to parents and teachers on education rights topics. In rural areas, access to services are often more limited, making it even more challenging for parents to navigate their children’s schooling, particularly for immigrant families. Tice was able to connect parents with the tools to better navigate the complexities of American public schooling. For Tice, this work was about letting parents know their “rights as parents to being involved in their children's education.” Tice explains, “Sometimes, immigrant parents especially may be reluctant to get involved, or maybe feel like . . . they have to leave it up to the school entirely.”

After her project at SMRLS ended, Tice joined Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina (COPAL) as an education manager for adult programs. Tice runs citizenship interview practice classes, English testing, and professional development courses. For Tice, education is both a human right and the key to accessing resources and opportunities. “People's access to quality of life is heavily dependent on their education,” she says. “Equal access is a human right. Access to education is a human right. That’s a basic human want and need, to learn and grow.” 

When Operation Metro Surge began in late 2025, the work of COPAL shifted to emergency response. As members of immigrant communities sheltered at home for fear of being stopped by federal agents, Tice’s work shifted to coordinating with the Immigrant Defense Network to organize rent assistance, constitutional observers, and food deliveries. 

Staying Motivated and Finding Hope 

For Tice, it is imperative that people stand up to human rights violations they see happening around them. "Unless we as people are willing to push back and fight for our rights and fight for the rights of our immigrant neighbors, then [rights violations are] just gonna continue," she says.  

Seeing people stand up for the rights of their neighbors gives her hope. “There are more of us, it seems, that believe in treating people with dignity and humanity, regardless of what side you're on in the political spectrum,” she says. “You know that at the end of the day, people are decent." She points to the masses of Minnesotans protesting in sub-zero temperatures earlier this year as proof of the fundamental decency of people- seeing so many people standing shoulder-to-shoulder spoke to the belief in the idea articulated by Senator Paul Wellstone, that, "we all do better when we all do better." 

Tice still looks back on her experience in the MHR program and how it has framed her understanding. "I look at the world completely differently now,” she says. “It [has] just informed everything." All of it has helped her to understand the path toward a better world with more universal dignity. "There isn't anything that I would rather be doing than working toward a better world,” Tice says.