Emily Ortiz ’11

How do you blend business and travel with furthering respect for the dignity of the human person? Franciscan graduate Emily Ortiz has found a way to do just that. Emily is the director of Development for Generation Life, a rapidly growing, international non-profit organization whose mission is to build a culture of life through peer-to-peer education about life issues and chastity.“My job is fast-paced and keeps me on my toes, and I’m always learning,” she says, “however, I would never have been able to come into this position without the formation, both personal and professional, offered by Dr. Tilman Rusch and the International Business Program at Franciscan University.”

Before coming to Franciscan, Emily worried about whether the school would offer the business connections she had anticipated making in college. Still, she was deeply impressed by the campus culture and the faith of students on campus, and decided to enter the International Business Program. Now she credits her decision as essential preparation for her work today.

“For me, Generation Life is a dream job,” she says, “because I get to bring together my passion for the dignity of the person with my background in business.”

Ortiz appreciated the intimate classroom setting at Franciscan and the active engagement of professors on campus, but the highlight of her academic career was her time in Franciscan’s study abroad program in Gaming, Austria, where she took classes with Dr. Rusch.

“I apply the lessons I learned in his classroom to my job and my personal life on a daily basis,” Emily says. “Not only did I receive excellent business and professional training from him, but his instruction was instrumental in forging my character and personality, and I am deeply grateful.”

Emily hopes to continue making a difference with Generation Life as the organization spreads the pro-life message around the United States, Canada, Asia, and Australia.

When choosing a major, she says, the best place to start is with what you love. “What is it that enlivens you, that ignites within you a passion?” she asks. “The world needs artists, lawyers, doctors, and entrepreneurs who are excellent in their trade and radically holy!”