Belmont Students Explore Human Rights at Oxford Conference

Students connect Nashville healthcare access to global conversations on human rights

Since its founding in 2012, the OCHR has connected underrepresented and first-generation college students with international experts  to address human rights challenges in public health, housing and education. Housed in Oxford University’s Las Casas Institute for Social Justice, the consortium is rooted  in the Christian ethos that merging scholarship, social engagement and practical action produces actionable change in improving human rights worldwide.  

Students Andrew Joseph and Madalynn Ferguson (College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences), Annabeth Dronet and Melanie Gonzalez (College of Science & Mathematics), EJ Carson (College of Education) and Sofia Arocha Perez (O’More College of Architecture & Design), attended the conference with their mentor, Dr. Parker Lawson, assistant professor of Spanish. With Belmont being one of only two Tennessee universities in the consortium, Lawson believes that a lasting connection between the University and Oxford has exciting potential. 

“This is an important partnership because of what happens at Oxford and the conversations our students create,” said Lawson. “The OCHR provides an unmatched academic experience through its world-class leadership and the experts they bring in to meet and teach our students. We are honored to be part of the consortium.” 

Bringing Local Stories to the Global Stage 

 Each participating university prepares a presentation on a human rights issue in its community. The Belmont students decided to center their presentation on Siloam Health, a healthcare nonprofit in Nashville that connects immigrants to medical services and educates the public on the challenges they face by studying the underlying barriers to care in Middle Tennessee. 

“Siloam seeks not just to meet the immediate healthcare needs of immigrants in Tennessee, but also protects their ability to access healthcare in the future,” senior Andrew Joseph said. “Human rights and global health may at first seem to be rather disjointed topics, but they actually overlap quite a bit.” 

As a senior double majoring in English and public advocacy, Joseph hopes to one day work in multilateral diplomacy and policy creation. In Oxford, he found that interacting with others through the shared presentations helped him recognize positive changes elsewhere.  

“With all of the conflict in the world right now, things can feel very bleak, and it’s easy to feel helpless,” he said. “It was so encouraging to be in a community of people that are committed to trying to make the world a better place and are taking steps to do so.” 

Madalynn Ferguson, a sophomore double majoring in global leadership and international politics, came to the OCHR with a predisposed interest in humanitarian work.  

Her experiences attending lectures and masterclasses before and after the group’s Siloam presentation both deepened her interest in pursuing international work and deepened her understanding of why such organizations are important.  

“Health is related to success in so many areas,” Ferguson said. “Lack of health makes maintaining employment, seeking education, and forming relationships difficult and we all need these things to thrive.” 

Between the masterclasses, lectures and collaborative work, bringing local human rights access issues to light creates not only new community, but a thread of common passion between students, no matter their home or interests.  

Creating an Interdisciplinary Path 

The OCHR’s conversation about human rights and global health doesn’t end at policy. Junior Annabeth Dronet, a pre-medical student and a Global Honors Social Innovation Fellow, came to the conference interested in how systems affect the day-to-day reality of healthcare.  An aspiring physician, Dronet hopes to carry this activism forward into her future career.  

“As a pre-medical student, the interdisciplinary environment at the conference was really inspiring,” Dronet said. “It will be my goal to champion human rights in how I practice medicine and care for my patients.” 

 Back on campus, Dronet hopes to involve other students in addressing local needs. “We’re really excited to bring what we’ve learned at Oxford to Belmont and the broader Nashville community,” she shared.  

Also passionate about finding the intersection between human rights and her future career is sophomore Sofia Arocha Perez, an architecture student eager to learn from those in different fields how her work might positively contribute to global development.  

“One of the most meaningful parts of the program was getting to know my fellow Belmont students and work with them, because we all have different fields of study,” she shared. “Hearing their perspectives made me question things I’ve never considered and I was excited to bring a design perspective to conversations.” 

Before attending the conference, Perez mainly connected human rights and global health to architecture through sustainability initiatives. The discussions at OCHR prompted her to dig deeper and consider how design can improve access to health care and support well-being.  

“Now, when I look at design problems, I ask more about the people we are serving and the individual considerations we need to implement in designs,” Perez shared. “Thoughtful design isn’t a luxury, it’s something everyone deserves as a way to support their interconnected rights to safety and wellbeing.” 

Carrying Forward Community Hope 

As a follow-up to the conference, the six students  will be expected to create community programming that reflects the lessons they learned in England.  

So far, the group has several ideas including a “no mow” month to encourage environmental sustainability and even a WELL-core event to educate fellow students on the resources available to the Nashville community. By bringing their passion for serving the local Nashville community to Oxford and back, the group has begun an exciting tradition and relationship that will hopefully benefit those around them for years to come.  

"We are delighted that Belmont has joined the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights and it was a real pleasure to welcome Belmont students to Oxford for the first time,” said Dr. Hugo Slim, director of the Las Casas Institute for Social Justice. “I am so glad we now have the great city of Nashville represented so well in our community by Belmont with its strong roots in Christian ethics. We look forward to seeing Belmont students in Oxford again very soon."