Mira Grieser '95

Washington, D.C.
Major: Biology
Postgraduate education: Master’s of health science degree in international health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Goshen provided a nurturing yet challenging environment for me,” Grieser said, crediting SST in Côte d’Ivoire for personal growth and helping her get into graduate school. “Cross-cultural communication was really one of the most important skills I could develop.”

Besides the cross-cultural possibilities, public health’s cross-discipline focus on statistics and epidemiology attracted Grieser, who augmented her Goshen experience with piano lessons and a creative writer’s group. “A liberal arts education promotes the interdisciplinary focus that is crucial in so many fields today,” she said.

After earning her master’s degree, Grieser coordinated a research project on childbearing decisions in Zimbabwe and Senegal. She is now a formative research coordinator/supervisor for the “Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls” with the National Institute of Health.
“I believe that God leads us to do what gives us life. I see God’s leading in relating to many different types of people, from academics to rural Zimbabwean women to adolescent girls. I try to set aside my biases and understand where they are coming from. This is where I find God.”