By Megan Witt, M.A. Student

On Wednesday September 28th, the M.A. of Human Rights students met with Professor Robert Destro. In the meeting, Professor Destro discussed his journey through undergraduate work, law school, and his professional life. He gave his wisdom on how we could each make a difference in the fields we are passionate about, and how each of us may have a plan but at the end of the day God is truly in charge.

Professor Destro is currently working as professor at the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University. He has an extensive background working in both the public and private sectors and, notably, served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. During his time there, he worked on issues from free and fair elections to combating slave labor. Mr. Destro shared stories from his time at the Department of State and as a Commissioner on the United State Commission on Civil Rights, and about the challenges he encountered from the bureaucracy at these organizations. 

Professor Destro has also been a lifelong advocate of the pro-life movement, religious freedom, and voting rights. His expertise is not limited to any one field, and he has an incredible wealth of knowledge on many human rights issues in the United States and internationally. 

Professor Destro left us with a question to ask ourselves: If we were given $500,000 each year to do any job that makes us happy, and we were able to teach others how to do it, what job would we choose? This question should inspire us to work backwards from our goals, so that we can make the changes in the world that we wish to see.