Mary Ann Cortese
Spring 2021 John Jay Fellow
Hometown: Chicago, IL
College: Franciscan University of Steubenville
Degree: B.S. International Business
In the Fall of 2020, Mary Ann Cortese graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville summa cum laude with a B.S. in International Business and a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. While at Franciscan, Mary Ann served on Student Government, as Vice-President of a Free Enterprise club and partook in Franciscan’s Center for Leadership Program with the mission to cultivate effective lifelong, Christian leaders. While also an undergraduate, she was able to partake in the First Liberty Fellowship and partake in the America's Future Foundation’s Writing Fellows Program in Fall 2020.
With a particular interest in international relations, Mary Ann has just completed an extended associateship program through Americans for Tax Reform. Through her experience, Mary Ann was able to research and write about relevant international trade and taxation policies. Her research was included in a case study detailing how global innovative policies allowed the pharmaceutical sector to levy a robust response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mary Ann also had the opportunity to serve as a Coalition Relations Intern and Academy Fellow at The Heritage Foundation in early 2020, which solidified her interest in liberty, theology and public affairs.
With a passion for travel and mission, Mary Ann served in Lima, Peru with Franciscan Lay Missionaries and was able to partake in a Christian-Jewish immersion program in the Holy Land her sophomore year at Franciscan. After John Jay, Mary Ann hopes to pursue a higher degree with a focus on international trade relations and continue serving on missions around the world.