Meet Vivianne Leonard, 2021 Alum
Vivianne is currently employed with John Snow Inc., Research & Training Institute as a Program Coordinator in their International Division for the Country Health Information Systems and Data Use (CHISU). Operating in more than 15 countries, CHISU is a USAID Bureau for Global Health flagship funded projects that implements digital health strategies and supports countries; self-management in health data. As a program coordinator backstopping Malawi, Ghana, and several countries in the East South Caribbean, Vivianne conducts weekly meetings with in-country offices, consultants, and USAID representatives to assist in executing the CHISU work plan.
In 2021, her first internship was supporting the Lexington Town Branch Fund for their creation of an inclusive public park in downtown Lexington. That same year, Vivianne obtained her second internship with AppHarvest as their Community Outreach intern where she aided multiple projects for food security initiatives in different cities throughout Kentucky. Vivianne has always been an advocate for inclusive spaces, whether that be domestically or globally. That passion, in addition to her internship experiences, drove her towards the path of international development. With a major in Development and a minor in Diplomacy, Vivianne was even more driven by her coursework to develop a passion for global health, food security, and economic stability. The course content in addition to the passion and encouragement from her professors in the Patterson School is what she attributes to her preparation for this career field.
Although Vivianne knows her heart lies in development, she hopes her current position will allow her to distinguish what she wants to pursue in the future. She does, however, know that she would like to do in-country "boots on the ground" work in the future. Eventually, she would like to expand to encompass different subfields of international development such as performing work for an international organization such as the United Nations or the World Health Organization.
When asked what advice do you have for current and incoming Patterson students, Vivianne said: "My first piece of advice to any student considering international relations would be to make sure you know what you want to do in terms of your concentration. Once you know what it is you would like to do, your future job hunt will be more fruitful. My second piece of advice is to try to find any sort of experience! There are many remote positions such as internships and fellowships. Jobs always want to know what you’re doing and what type of work you’re experienced in. Third, learn a language at Patterson while you can so you can work on perfecting it. Fourth piece of advice is to always utilize your professors. They will be your best guide for paper/presentation content, exam questions, job searching, or any opportunity they may know about. My last piece of advice is to make sure you become friends with your classmates. Everyone is under the same boat as you and it’s always better to work in groups than by yourself, especially when comprehensive exams begin to approach."