Religious Studies Major Jobs and Graduate School Acceptances

“My First-Year Seminar class, Waging Peace: Religion and the World’s Peacemakers, opened me to an entirely new world of experiences,” said Halpin, who double majored in religious studies and political science and minored in music. “My professor, Prof. [Megan Adamson] Sijapati, helped me discover the Center For Public Service (CPS), where I have now worked for three years. Working there has informed my ideas of what I want to do for a career and fundamentally impacted how I think about the world. Similarly, taking this class exposed me to new cultures and belief systems, which encouraged me to pursue studying abroad. On [Get Acquainted Day], I had said I had no interest in studying abroad, and now I have studied abroad in Morocco, interned in Jordan, and will be heading to work in Palestine after graduation.” With a grant from CPS, Halpin will be working with a nongovernmental organization in Palestine to support its social justice-based summer camp.

During his time at Gettysburg College, Jones dedicated himself to helping undergraduate students recognize their potential for social change—in the here and now. However, he is proudest of co-creating and co-directing the inaugural Peace and Justice Transformative Leaders Fellowship Program at Gettysburg College. “More than anything, being a Gettysburgian means understanding that we are the ones we have been waiting for when it comes to building a better current and future,” said Jones, who double majored in religious studies and public policy, minoring in peace and justice studies and Middle Eastern and Islamic studies. “It means recognizing that we have lots of agency here and now, and deciding to use it.” After graduation, Jones plans on attending the University of Chicago, where he’s earned a research-based scholarship, in pursuit of a master’s in international relations, with a focus on international development.