The Program in International and Comparative Studies (PICS) will host its annual International Studies Alumni Career Panel in person and virtually on Monday, March 23rd, 2026.

If you wish to attend virtually, please register here: https://myumi.ch/dgn3N

This alumni panel will showcase and celebrate the university’s rich history of contributions made by International Studies alumni, while providing valuable insight for current students as they start to develop their own career paths. The panel will include a student Q&A portion. This will be followed by a reception.

PICS is home to the International Studies major and minor. Established in 2009, International Studies is one of the largest majors in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, with over 2000 accomplished alumni worldwide. International Studies graduates pursue numerous career paths, many going on to work with corporations, non-profits, or government agencies, as well as progressing directly on to graduate school.

Learn where an International Studies major can take you!

2026 Alumni Panelists:

Davina Buruchara, MSW, LICSW, Inpatient Clinical Social Worker, Obstetrics/Pediatrics, Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN
MSW (Social Enterprise Administration; International Social Welfare and Services to Immigrants and Refugees), Columbia University, '20
BA International Studies (International Security, Norms and Cooperation); minor, Afroamerican and African Studies; Honors ‘17

Davina Buruchara is an inpatient Clinical Social Worker at the Mayo Clinic, where she has worked for the past five years in pediatrics and obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine. In her role, she provides counseling, crisis intervention, care coordination, and psychosocial support to women and families navigating high-risk pregnancies and complex medical decisions, collaborating closely with multidisciplinary teams to ensure culturally responsive care. Davina earned her BA in International Studies from the University of Michigan, with a minor in Afro-American and African Studies in 2017, where she participated in the Global Scholars Program and attended the Forbes 30 Under 30 Conference in 2016. After graduating, she completed internships with the United Nations in Nairobi and Tembo Education, and contributed to early childhood initiatives through WHO/UNICEF’s Care for Child Development with the Africa Early Childhood Network. She later earned her MSW from Columbia University, where she interned with ATD Fourth World, contributing to UNICEF and UN ECOSOC policy engagement on child poverty, homelessness, and the rights of the child during the COVID-19 period.

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Jenna Chai, Director of Global Programs, JLL@Google
Mountain View, CA
BA International Studies (Global Environment and Health); BA Women's and Gender Studies ‘13

Jenna Chai is a Director of Global Programs for JLL on their flagship Google account, supporting the real estate and workplace services division. In this role, she drives high-impact business and organizational transformations across complex real estate operations. From developing specialized critical space support structures to designing headquarters experience strategy, she has maintained a continuous focus on advancing operational excellence and elevating workplace experience across the Bay Area and Americas portfolios while championing a strong culture of belonging.

Jenna’s current focus on corporate real estate and workplace programs was preceded by a dynamic, non-linear career path with deep international roots. She spent six years working abroad in Beijing, China, adapting her skills across a diverse range of sectors. Her professional experience spans strategic communications within healthcare PR consulting, running academic programs and admissions at Peking University, cultivating alumni relations and community programming at the International School of Beijing, and contributing to global public health research initiatives.

Jenna holds a dual Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Women's Studies from the University of Michigan. While on campus, she was actively involved in social justice advocacy and consistently pursued opportunities to expand her worldview. A standout experience during this time was her semester and internship in Cape Town, South Africa, where she researched healthcare policy frameworks and patient rights at the University of Cape Town.

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Ava Easterwood, Advancement Associate, The Nightingale-Bamford School
New York, NY
MA, Teachers College, Columbia University, ‘23
BA International Studies (Comparative Culture and Identity); BA Women’s and Gender Studies ‘21

Ava Easterwood is an Advancement Associate on the Development team at The Nightingale-Bamford School, an all-girls independent school in New York City. In her role, she supports fundraising efforts, donor stewardship, and alumnae engagement. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2021, where she majored in International Studies with a concentration in Comparative Culture and Identity and in Women’s and Gender Studies. While at Michigan, Ava served as Fundraising Chair for UNICEF at Michigan, participated in Best Buddies, and was an English Language Institute (ELI) Conversation Circles facilitator. She also studied abroad in Tanzania through the Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates (GIEU), where she taught English for one month. These academic and co-curricular experiences shaped her interest in education, equity, and relationship-based nonprofit work. Ava went on to earn her MA in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2023.

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Angela Guo, Senior Program Manager, The Gates Foundation
Seattle, WA
Master of Business Administration, Emory University ‘21
Master of Public Health (Global Health), Emory University ‘16
BS International Studies (Political Economy and Development); Honors; minor, Biology ‘12

Angela Guo is a Senior Program Manager at the Gates Foundation, where she has worked since 2022 on the Pneumonia & Pandemic Preparedness team. In this role, she supports the team’s strategic planning and portfolio management efforts, with a focus on reducing mortality from childhood pneumonia in low- and middle-income countries. Prior to joining the foundation, she worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), serving as an Epidemiologist in the Division of Viral Diseases and later leading the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. In her work within the Division of Viral Diseases, Angela supported the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in developing shingles vaccine policy and assisted with domestic outbreak responses for mumps, measles, and acute flaccid myelitis. During the COVID-19 response, Angela led the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program coordinating the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 40,000 pharmacies nationwide. Angela holds an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and an MPH in Global Health from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. Angela grew up in Boston and is relocating to Seattle from Atlanta. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and watching soccer.

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Marie High, Luxury Travel Advisor, The Local Foreigner
New York, NY
Masters in World Food Cultures and Mobility, Culinary Arts and Related Services, University of Gastronomic Sciences - Pollenzo ‘23
BA International Studies (Global Environment and Health); BA Sociology (Law, Justice, and Social Change) ‘21

Marie High is a luxury travel advisor in New York City for The Local Foreigner. In her role, she manages bespoke leisure trips for private clients with daily responsibilities of trip ideation, destination consulting, logistical planning, hotel and restaurant advising, and ad hoc client support. In 2023, she received a Masters of Gastronomy from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Piedmont, Italy. There, she studied how international cultures are shared through mealtime traditions and how sustainable global food systems function in terms of both production and distribution. Throughout her program she traveled extensively and worked at a farm to table restaurant in Liguria, Italy as a chef and waitress. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2021, she worked locally in Ann Arbor with the University Flower Shop coordinating events and weddings. At Michigan, she majored in International Studies (Global Health & Environment) and Sociology with a minor in Italian Language.

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Colette Kavanagh, Assistant Attorney General, Colorado Department of Law
Denver, CO
J.D., University of Denver Sturm College of Law, ‘21
BA International Studies (Global Environment and Health); BA Program in the Environment (Environmental Law and Policy) ‘16

Colette Kavanagh is an Assistant Attorney General for the state of Colorado and acts as general counsel and litigation counsel for numerous executive branch agency clients. Her practice is centered on professional regulation and licensing. At Denver Law, Colette was a teaching assistant for the legal writing program, Vice President of the Outdoor Club, and Editor in Chief of the Denver Law Review, Vol. 98. Prior to law school, Colette interned with an employment-based immigration legal team and earned a yoga teaching certification. While at Michigan, she was involved in the Panhellenic Peer Educator program, tutored at a local elementary school, and enjoyed a summer at the Camp Davis field station in Jackson, WY. She currently serves as a mentor with Law School . . .Yes We Can! and as a board member for Sacred Heart House of Denver. In her free time, Colette enjoys hiking, needlepoint, learning German, and her miniature dachshund, Ralph.

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Tara Snapper, Senior Business Analyst in Sustainable Finance, Capital One Commercial Bank
Washington, DC
BA International Studies (Political Economy and Development); Honors; BA Economics ‘22

Tara Snapper is a Senior Business Analyst on the Sustainable Finance team at Capital One’s Commercial Bank, where she evaluates financed emissions and climate risk. Previously, she worked as a digital nomad in Bogotá, Colombia, executing market research and contributing to a $100M HVAC investment strategy for a Chicago-based private equity consulting firm. A former Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia focused on community economic development, Tara combines her background in International Studies and Economics to address economic inequities and drive the renewable energy transition. At Michigan she was involved in intramural sports, Propel Business Club, Phi Beta Lambda Business Fraternity, and did an internship abroad in Argentina with AIESEC. Tara grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts and in her free time likes to thrift, do hot-yoga, solo-travel, and find new hikes.

*Accommodation: If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us at is-michigan@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.