Michelle and her husband Charlie McGrigor (and son Lachlan) live in Beijing, China.  She writes: “I work as a Program Officer for the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO -- an international development organization). After Bishops I went to South Korea and taught English for a year.  This sparked an interest in development issues in general and Asia in particular.  After working there for a year I went to do a Masters Degree in Development Studies at the University of Leeds in the UK.  Following this I went to Vietnam.  Through the World University Service of Canada and the CIDA Young Professionals Program, I was an intern at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for six months. I continued to work for them as a locally hired employee before taking a job with an umbrella organization for Non-Governmental Organizations / Charities working in Vietnam.  I was the Co-Director of the NGO Resource Centre there for over two years.  Following that I decided to return to Canada to spend some time with family and friends and lived in Toronto from 2001 to 2003.  I did a short term contract with a pharmaceutical company and then went to work with the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy's 'Imagine' Program which aims to build partnerships between Canadian Businesses and Non-Profit organizations.  ...I was lucky while working in Vietnam to meet the love of my life who is originally from Scotland and came to live with me in Toronto.  We were married in 2002 and Lachlan arrived in January 2003.  We both have a love of traveling and living abroad and thought that if we didn't go now we never would. …Bishops has had a huge impact on my life and who I am today.  While my studies weren't directly related to international development, my sociology degree gave me a strong foundation for my next degree and analysis of social issues in general.   There is such a strong sense of community at Bishops and the friends I made there are indeed friends for life.”

Contact Michelle by email: Michelle Brown