Emma Sonnemann is a graduate student at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in the Master of Arts in Global Governance program. She is a recent graduate of Trent University where she completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies and International Development. During her time at Trent, Emma completed research on topics including the Arab Spring, the Canadian welfare state, and human rights abuses in Guatemala. She graduated with a particular passion for studying human rights and the factors which impact governance around these rights.

In the final year of her undergraduate degree, Emma completed a community-based research project which examined the impact of Ontario’s 2017 Basic Income Pilot Project on recipients and the broader community of Lindsay, Ontario. Through her work with community agencies, pilot project participants, and policy experts, Emma gained valuable primary research skills that will be invaluable to her research moving forward.

During her MA, Emma hopes to further her knowledge in the areas of human rights and international political economy and delve further into Canadian corporate human rights abuses abroad using an interdisciplinary approach.