易胜博官网

Jordan Mrvos wants to bridge gaps between people. It鈥檚 something he鈥檚 been interested in since he was 10, when, on a family vacation in Mexico, he saw street vendors selling bracelets and small statues. Buying the items involved haggling, Mrvos鈥� parents told him. It was like a game. But all Mrvos could see were the gaps 鈥� the cultural differences between tourists and vendors, and the gap between the vendors and the resources they needed to survive.

鈥淭hat memory stuck with me,鈥� Mrvos said. And it influenced his career at 易胜博官网, leading to a dual major in communication with a focus on interpersonal relationships within cultural frameworks and international affairs, along with a minor in French.

Mrvos found his academic passions and embraced a rigorous schedule early on at 易胜博官网. A communication class with professor听Renee Heath marked 鈥渢he first time I had cared enough about a class to have an argument with the professor about one of the theories she presented,鈥� Mrvos says. And a lecture series hosted by the Center for International Education and Global Engagement cemented his interest in peacebuilding and working out conflicts.

He saw those sorts of complicated conflicts firsthand during a study abroad experience at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. 鈥淚 walked to campus 鈥� and there was a huge banner painted directly on one of the buildings that said, 鈥榃e have started.鈥� 鈥� A professor explained they were students protesting a new work law. My question was, these are students, and they don鈥檛 work because in France, education is subsidized, so why do they care?鈥�

That formed the basis of Mrvos鈥� capstone project, which he presented at the Undergraduate Research Conference in April. 鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that sitting in a room with people who are like-minded is not effective, so I examine a proposal about how a dialogue between opposing groups might work,鈥� he said.

Mrvos is ready to put his interests and ideas in action. His internship with the Social Ventures Foundation, a Portsmouth-based听nonprofit organization working to end poverty by investing in sustainable businesses, has led to a full-time job after graduation. 鈥淲hen people have basic necessities 鈥� they鈥檙e much less prone to argument, or they鈥檙e at least willing to work out their differences,鈥� he says.