American.edu Home Page

People In The Know

Amanda Merkwae

Health Wonk

Original

Cred Law and society major from Milwaukee, Wisconsin


Interests “The legal issues surrounding reproductive health policy. Freshman year I took a class with one professor who had experience in reproductive rights and the law, and it was the best class I’ve ever taken.”


Last Book You Read Second Sex by Simone Debeauvoir


What Keeps You Up At Night? Gender issues, the portrayal of different sexual orientations in the media and culture, and human rights issues


Hobbies “This summer I’m interning for a national campaign to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy.”


Are You a Wonk? “Yes. Because classes are so specialized, students can really develop their career around one specific issue. With D.C. as my experiential classroom we can put everything I learned in school into practice.”