June 7, 2004

Moh Sharma, Master Of Arts, Economics
By Sherry Fisher

Photo by Melissa Arbo

Throughout her life, Moh Sharma says, she has been sure of one thing: "I've always known that I wanted to help people."

So it's not surprising that she became active in the Student Ambassadors for Human Rights program at UConn.

"I was part of it when it first started," says Sharma, who earned a master's degree in economics and an undergraduate degree in economics with a minor in human rights. "It was perfect for me. It was the right way for me to help."

The Student Ambassadors for Human Rights program is an initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Chair in Comparative Human Rights at UConn. As a student ambassador, Sharma worked with elementary, middle, and high school students, teaching them about human rights.

Sharma, who was in the Honors Program as an undergraduate, says the student ambassadors program broadened her horizons: "I've been exposed to so much and have learned where to look for new opportunities in the human rights field."

She says that Amii Omara-Otunnu, associate professor of history and UNESCO Chair, who founded the student ambassadors program, was "inspirational. He is a great resource for students interested in human rights and international relations."

Sharma attended the International Society for Human Values Youth Values Conference in Geneva in fall 2002. "It was a wonderful opportunity because there were students and people our age from all over the world discussing human rights and how to implement them in society," she says.

The following summer, she went back to Geneva for a month-long International Public Policy internship.

Sharma also has worked at the Center for Economic Analysis for almost three years. She was one of the first undergraduates to work there. "It has been a really good experience to learn about economics in the classroom and then actually apply it," she says.

Her master's thesis was on poverty and the policies of the Internationa l Monetary Fund Policy.

Sharma, who is of Indian descent, loves to perform Bhangra, a style of dancing from northern India. She has danced and done choreography in Asian night talent shows, Homecoming, and the Indian Student Association Diwali Festival.

She plans to attend law school.