Sydney Mardon, BA'25
Sydney Mardon is a 2025 graduate of the Sciences Po-UBC Dual Bachelor’s degree. She is a UBC Wesbrook Scholar, and was recently awarded the Carl Bradford Memorial Scholarship in recognition of her academic, leadership, community, and athletic engagement. At UBC, she majored in Honours Political Science with International Relations, and wrote her thesis on the topic of Social Media, Empathy, and Humanitarian Engagement. Sydney is passionate about human rights, volunteers with Girl Guides of Canada, and enjoys playing field hockey and soccer. Sydney is heading to London, England to work as a sustainability and human rights consultant.
Tell us a little bit about the trip and the course! What did you do in DC?
I went to DC as a researcher and advocate with UBC’s Scholars at Risk team which functions as a part of the Organization for Regional and International Community Engagement (ORICE). Scholars at Risk is an international network that supports the principles of academic freedom and defends the human rights of scholars around the world. As a part of their Scholars in Prison project, I advocated on behalf of Marfa Rabkova – a young student imprisoned in Belarus in 2020 for her pro-democracy and human rights advocacy.
In DC, on our first day we attended a conference run by Scholars at Risk alongside other university student advocacy groups from across the United States. We spent the day listening to inspirational talks from human rights defenders, collaborating with other student groups, and learning about how to become more impactful and effective advocates. After the end of the conference, we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening sightseeing around DC! We were there during the full bloom of cherry blossoms, which made the city and its many monuments so beautiful! We visited the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial, with the last place being my favourite.
The next day, we went to Capitol Hill to meet with legislators. I had meetings in Congressional and Senate offices with legislative assistants and lawmakers about Marfa’s case and the broader crisis of democracy and human rights in Belarus. Within these meetings, myself and my fellow advocates highlighted Marfa’s case and laid out an action plan for how legislators could support our mission to free Marfa.
Why did you decide to take this course and what made you interested in the Scholars At Risk program? How did it fit into the rest of your studies?
I am deeply passionate about human rights, and in my studies at both Sciences Po and UBC have prioritized courses where I could learn more about human rights and humanitarian advocacy. For example, last semester while preparing for my trip to DC, I was taking classes such as International Human Rights Law and Institutions, Multiculturalism and Identity Politics, and No Knowledge is Neutral. Within all of these classes, there were deep connections to the advocacy work I was doing with Scholars at Risk – particularly considering academic freedom and freedom of expression.
I decided to join the Scholars in Prison Engagementship to take my passion for human rights out of the classroom and into the real world. To protect a healthy democracy, it is essential that academic freedom and freedom of expression are protected. In Marfa’s case, her work as a volunteer coordinator with the Viasna Human Rights Centre led to a fifteen year prison sentence. Threats to freedom of expression and academic freedom pose an enormous risk for broader human rights and the strength of democracies around the world. These threats have been often discussed in my classes and in the media, and it was meaningful and interesting to see how they play out in individual situations. Focusing on Marfa’s case enabled me to learn more about the larger human rights and democratic crisis in Belarus, and conduct more specific and significant advocacy.
What was the most meaningful/exciting/memorable part of the trip for you?
The most meaningful moments for me were our meetings with Congressional and Senate legislators. It was my first time in DC and doing advocacy on Capitol Hill was incredibly exciting. We put a lot of thought and time into scheduling meetings before we arrived in DC, but going into them I was not sure exactly what to expect. My favourite moments came from meeting with Congressional and Senate staffers who shared my passion for human rights and were enthusiastic about supporting our advocacy efforts. In one meeting in particular, the legislative assistant was so deeply engaged and encouraging of our advocacy that it reinvigorated my hope to create meaningful change. Human rights advocacy can be difficult and tiring, so knowing that there are people in positions of power who are listening and committed to making a difference is deeply rewarding.
What’s the biggest takeaway from this trip and the whole course for you? Was there anything you’ve learned through this experience that surprised you?
My biggest takeaway is that people want to help, but as a human rights advocate, it is your job to lay out clear steps and action plans so those motivated know what you expect from them and how they can support your goals. It can be hard not to be pessimistic when it comes to human rights – it may feel like there are too many rights violations, too many crises, too many people to help. To combat feelings of defeatism and apathy, it is essential to remain focused on your goal and create a tangible action plan to motivate meaningful engagement and advocacy.
Additionally, I was surprised by the existence of ‘door-knocking’ advocacy. On Capitol Hill, you can go into any Congressional or Senate office without a meeting and talk with the person at reception about your goals and why that particular Representative may be able to help your cause. If they have a legislator available and interested, you can then have a brief meeting with them. It can be a bit daunting – pitching your case without any guarantee of a meeting, but also was a really fun and exciting part of the advocacy! In between scheduled meetings, I would go ‘door knocking’ on the offices of Congressional and Senate Representatives that we had identified as potentially interested in supporting Marfa’s plight. I met incredible and passionate people this way and was able to engage with legislators in brief but impactful meetings.
Why was this experience meaningful to you?
This experience was meaningful to me because of the woman I was advocating for – Marfa Rabkova. She is a young woman and student who was arrested at the age of 25, only a couple of years older than me who shared my passions and field of study. Now 30, she still has nearly a decade ahead of her in prison due to her human rights and pro-democracy advocacy in Belarus. I am inspired by Marfa’s courage to stand up for human rights in the face of repression, and it was meaningful to me to provide a voice to her case which has otherwise faced high levels of censorship. Focusing on her case, I learned about what a dedicated and driven person Marfa is, and her human rights advocacy inspired my own.
Is there any advice or insight that you would like to share with other students who are interested in taking this course or participating in the Scholars At Risk program?
Apply! I learnt so much from my research and advocacy work with Scholars At Risk and highly recommend participating in the program! ORICE emphasizes the importance of community engagement and I have had the opportunity to meet so many incredible and passionate people by participating in this program. A key piece of advice is to make the most of the opportunities that you are given through Scholars At Risk because you get out of the program what you put into it. Especially when it comes to planning the advocacy in Washington DC, the more effort and research you put into setting up meetings with legislators, the more you will learn and the more impactful your advocacy will be. This Scholars At Risk program reinvigorated my passion for political advocacy, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity during my undergraduate experience!
