Griffith College Business Student Making a Global Impact

The following article was written by one of our final-year Business students, who shares her experience of putting her studies into practice through a digital marketing internship with 'The Borgen Project', an organisation dedicated to tackling global poverty.

As a final-year business student at Griffith College, my time on campus has always been about more than just attending lectures—it has been about preparing to make a real impact in the professional world. The dynamic learning environment, supportive faculty, and practical mindset cultivated at Griffith College have given me the confidence and skills to take on challenges beyond the classroom. Thanks to the academic foundation and opportunities provided by my studies here, I successfully managed to secure a social media & digital marketing internship with The Borgen Project. Immersed in this role, I’ve come to realize that the most powerful global movements often start with humble, unexpected beginnings—much like the story of how this organization itself was born.

Imagine working on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska just to fund your dream. That is the grassroots beginning of The Borgen Project, an organization dedicated to tackling global poverty. This mission was deeply shaped when founder Clint Borgen volunteered in refugee camps during the Kosovo War in 1999, witnessing firsthand the urgent need for international action and systemic change.  

Let me answer that question right away: what is The Borgen Project?   

It is a non-profit organization that fights global poverty at the political and advocacy level. Rather than operating on the ground, it focuses on driving government policy changes to make poverty reduction efforts sustainable and on a much larger scale. To eliminate any confusion, operating at the political level means relying on structural advocacy and lobbying where the focus is entirely on shifting national policies, budgets, and legislation to address poverty from the top down. In practice, this involves mobilizing citizens to reach out to elected officials, prompting them to sponsor key measures, renew vital development acts, and champion bills that turn long-term systemic change into reality." 

If you have never been involved in this type of work before, you might find yourself wondering: Is it really working? Is it making a difference in the world? The answer is a resounding yes because numbers do not lie. By mobilizing citizens and securing meetings with high percentages of key congressional committee members—such as 90% of Senate Appropriations and 91% of Senate Foreign Relations—the organization has championed vital legislative victories like the READ Act and the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act. These ongoing advocacy efforts have unlocked monumental achievements, including saving $1 billion in global health funding, passing the Global Fragility Act to target the root causes of global instability, and providing first-time electricity access to over 58 million people through initiatives like the Electrify Africa Act. I must say that these are just a fraction of The Borgen Project’s success stories, and the list of legislative and global impacts goes on much further. 

Finally, it is time for the good news. You do not have to be a politician to drive meaningful change; everyone has a part to play. You can easily get involved by sharing awareness online, reaching out to your local representative—which takes less than half a minute—or, for those who prefer a quieter approach, contributing a comfortable financial donation to organizations like The Borgen Project to help fuel their ongoing mission.  

To learn more and discover how your voice can help shape a better future, visit borgenproject.org.