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Julia McWhirter '08
United States
"Thunderbird's MA program catered to exactly what I was interested in," says McWhirter. "I learned about nonprofit government work and global affairs in the classroom, while also learning management skills."


Julia McWhirter '08

Some might consider Julia McWhirter's travel schedule to be a bit on the ambitious side. But she doesn't see it that way.

"I enjoy traveling and experiencing new cultures and new things," says McWhirter, a native of Indiana, who recently spent a summer visiting Thailand followed by a special trip to Brazil and Argentina, where she visited local nonprofits that shared a mission similar to her then-employer, The Milagro Center.

As the Milagro Center's assistant director, she oversaw the Milagro STARS program, a cultural arts after-school program that links students of Hispanic and Haitian descent directly with professional artists. "The program offers homework assistance and also helps connect recently immigrated families to health resources and government programs," explains McWhirter.

A political science graduate of Florida Atlantic University, McWhirter says she's "always had an interest in government and nonprofit." So great was her interest that McWhirter packed her bags and trekked to Washington, D.C. for a sabbatical that included an internship with the Mercatus Center, an organization that provides policymakers with a non-partisan economic perspective on legislative issues.

Working at the Mercatus Center, McWhirter says, made it apparent to her that business skills are a key component to any nonprofit's success. When she returned to The Milagro Center, she decided it was time to hone her own business skills.

"Thunderbird's MA program catered to exactly what I was interested in," says McWhirter, who graduated from the program in December 2008. "I learned about nonprofit government work and global affairs in the classroom, while also learning management skills."

Active in campus life as a student, McWhirter helped organize a Thunderbird career trip to New York as a member of the school's International Development Association. She was responsible for arranging visits to the United Nation's Development Program, the Clinton Foundation, Endeavor, and other entities – as well as with alumni involved in international development.

McWhirter's participation in a Thunderbird Winterim trip to South Africa prior to graduation reaffirmed her career goals. "My experience on the Winterim trip provided me with a better perspective on the role of the private sector in development," McWhirter says. After graduation she planned to return to Africa, working on public-private partnerships that address the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals.

The fact that McWhirter's future career will allow her to tie her cultural interests in with her career interests is just an added bonus, she says.