NEWS

During her time at Lehigh University, Jordan Davis’ passion for global advocacy led her to apply for a unique opportunity as a United Nations Youth Representative. Initially inspired by her role as a Lehigh/UN Program Intern, she secured the position as the Youth Representative for the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in her sophomore year—a role she would hold for the remainder of her undergraduate career. While studying abroad in Geneva, she represented AAUW at the UN, one of only a handful of Youth Representatives to ever do so. . After graduating a semester early, she interned at the United Nations Department of Global Communications, an experience that not only reinforced her passion for international diplomacy but also inspired her to pursue a career in immigration law.

What was the most impactful part (or best memory) of your experience with the Lehigh/United Nations partnership or the UN?

There are truly so many opportunities that were just so cool. I got to moderate the panel at Students Seeking Solutions for the SDGs, a conference that some of the other Youth Representatives and I organized, which was held at the UN. That was pretty amazing to be sitting up there, speaking at the UN.

Also, while I was in Geneva, I happened to be at the UN during World Down Syndrome Day, and that's an important cause to me personally.  I made some connections with a few of the organizations and other NGOs who were supporting the cause. The next year back in New York, while I was interning at the UN, I got to speak at the World Down Syndrome Day conference as well with one of my good friends from childhood who has Down Syndrome. That was really special. I never would have gotten that opportunity if it wasn't for Lehigh and the UN program.

How did your involvement in the Lehigh/United Nations partnership impact your worldview?

The experience really opened my eyes to the rest of the world. I grew up in a place where there was not much diversity. Going to the UN made me realize that there are people whose lives are completely different than mine. It's so important to be able to understand that, to understand how the world works, and that everyone's lives are not the same. I think being around the UN for so many years complimented my studies in International Relations. Being at the UN taught me that “international” means more than just our side of the world. There's truly so much out there that most people will never be exposed to or never see, and being able to have that exposure was instrumental to my career and figuring out what I wanted to do.

How did your involvement in the Lehigh/United Nations partnership alter/shape your career path?

When I came back from studying abroad, I decided to study law. I came to that realization while I was in Geneva, serving at the UN. I realized how much the world needs a more international understanding. Of course, there are many cultural differences and so many barriers to making a functional international legal system, but I think the UN is the best shot we have at peace and development for the future. I was really inspired by being at the UN.

I tried to find a way where I could apply the things I had learned from the UN and what I took away from my internship, and I landed on immigration law. I went to a decent amount of briefings at the UN about global migration, discussing questions such as: What drives global migration? Why do people migrate? Why do people leave their home countries? A lot of it has to do with climate. A lot of it has to do with war, instability, and unsafe conditions that have been created in their home countries. I was very interested in that, so I decided in law school to focus on that, and now I am an immigration lawyer. It's a really interesting career and it fits in well with my past experiences.

If you could give one piece of advice to current Lehigh students looking to engage with the Lehigh/United Nations partnership, what would it be?

You really have to put yourself out there. You're not going to get anything if you don't really put yourself out there and you're not afraid to talk to people. Bill always had us have our elevator pitches ready to go, because you never know who you're going to meet with when you're at the UN. Be as involved as you can, take all of the opportunities that you can. There are such unique opportunities in this program, and so many people in the world would be so grateful for these opportunities, so take advantage of them, because they're truly at your fingertips. You will be able to reach whatever goals you have if you just take advantage of each opportunity and put yourself out there.

I would also say, don't get discouraged. The world is a scary place sometimes, and it can feel very overwhelming, especially at such a large scale. What being around the UN taught me was that, yes, we need large-scale efforts toward peace, and everyone needs to be able to come to the table and work out a path toward peace. But that doesn't happen on a large scale. It happens on a small scale. Local community efforts and local government matters, even if you're not always speaking at the UN. That's not always realistic, so small changes do make a difference and it is important work.