When Jennifer Binley entered college, she knew she was interested in dedicating herself to finding a way to stop mass atrocities around the world. The international relations major quickly joined USC STAND, an anti-genocide club she eventually became president of, and began interning at USC Shoah Foundation.

“I found the interests of [USC STAND] often correlate to the events and goals of USC Shoah Foundation,” Binley said of her dedication to both organizations.

As an intern for the Education Department at the Institute, Binley watched testimonies for quality control and improved student activities on the IWitness website.

“The testimonies I watched daily really inspired my desire to make a difference,” she said.

Now Binley, a 2015 graduate, is taking her education one-step further, studying international relations at the University of Cape Town as a Rotary International Global Grant Scholar. The global grants support those either organizing humanitarian projects that address a community’s needs, conducting vocational training, or studying internationally at the graduate level for a career in that focus. Binley is focusing on Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution and Economic Development. As part of her scholarship, she volunteers with the club and attends their events in Cape Town.

“The testimonies I watched daily really inspired my desire to make a difference."

“My area of focus has always been sub-Saharan Africa, and the University of Cape Town is the best university in the region. I wanted to take classes with an African perspective and learn more about peace and conflict in Africa,” she said.

Binley also has a personal connection to the country and the continent — her father is South African and her mother is Zimbabwean. After her studies are over, she plans on continuing her work there, ideally for an NGO or consulting group that works to help a developing nation.

“I am extremely interested in human development in sub-Saharan Africa. Through my studies, I have determined that the best way to prevent conflict is by improving economic conditions,” she said. “I am interested in a career that connects poverty alleviation with economic enhancement.”

Binley said her continuing dedication to eliminating international atrocities is partially due to the time she spent interning at the Institute.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to see people working so passionately towards raising awareness worldwide about genocide,” she said. “It really made me interested in pursuing a career that would eliminate mass violence.”