Emelie Jimenez

Bio

Emelie Jimenez is a Political Science junior obtaining two certificates in Human Rights and Political Transitions and African Languages and Culture at Florida International University Honors College. She is currently the president of IGNITE FIU where she has hosted several virtual events to prepare and encourage the next generation of young women to become political leaders, including hosting Q&A virtual events with local government officials. In addition, Emelie founded the BC Community Project, a project dedicated to establishing transitional shelters for the chronically homeless community here in Miami-Dade. As the project works to establish a partnership with existing shelters in the community, the BC Community Project has been hosting hygiene kit distributions to the community, as well as weekend community pickups throughout the duration of the Spring semester. 

In the summer of 2019, Emelie interned with Centro Emergencia de Mujer and La Defensoria Municipal del Niño y del Adolescente in Cusco, Peru. There, she provided aid for young mothers and children to legally escape domestic and sexual violence by offering them resources such as psychological treatment, legal guidance with the help of local lawyers and judicial defense, and information on where to find local safe housing. The insight Emelie acquired from her work in Peru allowed her to utilize her personal knowledge on gender-based violence within Latin America to her research on human trafficking and human smuggling laws that govern the Western Hemisphere, specifically Haiti, for the Department of State through the university’s Diplomacy Lab. She is currently in the process of being published through FIU’s Diplomacy Lab. 

As a Hamilton Scholar, Emelie was able to obtain her internship with the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, where she will be working next month in Washington D.C. Emelie hopes to apply for the Pickering Fellowship to obtain her Master’s in International Relations, where she hopes to obtain a career as a Political Foregin service officer to influnce U.S. policy decision on topics related to human trafficking, gender-based violence and good governance.