Name: Sebastian Cardenas
Instagram Handle: scardenas419
Major(s): Global Studies, History, and Spanish
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Year at UNL: Senior
Favorite Book and Why: The Buried Mirror by Carlos Fuentes. I have always been interested in the history of Latin America and Spain and this book gave very detailed accounts of their histories before and after they encountered one another.
Favorite Movie and Why: My favorite movie is Gather. It is a documentary about Native Americans trying to save their culture through preserving their native foods. I like it because I feel that it touches on a major issue, that being the loss of culture amongst the younger generations. I like how the presenters of the documentary go to a great effort to teach and instill in the younger generations the traditions of their ancestors.
Why Global Studies: I chose Global Studies because I have always been interested in learning about different peoples and their traditions. When I found global studies, I felt that it would be a good place to build upon this interest while at the same time connecting with my other two majors, History, and Spanish. I also like how it required students to go abroad for a semester, which was something that I really wanted to do and was fortunate enough to do this last spring. Aside from the study abroad aspect, I was able to participate in interesting classes such as Global Studies 201. This course gave me a very detailed introduction to the topic of Global Studies and allowed me to become more knowledgeable about things like the major issues facing the world today. I would suggest to the new students thinking of majoring and minoring in Global Studies to embrace it in order to truly get all that you can out of it. I also think if they are students not looking into Global Studies, that they should at least try it out, because while it focuses on things like globalization, and world issues, it also is an interdisciplinary which allows for students to take courses that may interest them more than other Global Studies majors, for example I am able to take courses in History and Spanish that will go on to count for Global Studies credit. I was also able to take courses to help better my professional skills such as COMM 311.
Extracurricular Experience: As part of the Global Studies Major, I am expected to study abroad for a semester and I chose to do that, last spring in Granada Spain. I took my courses through La Universidad de Granada, where I was able to build upon my Spanish language skills while also putting them into practice in my everyday life in the city. I lived with a host family who I believe was very helpful in teaching me about the cultural norms of Spain while also helping me learn more Spanish outside of the classroom. It was an experience that I will never forget, and I encourage other UNL students to do it, especially if you are trying to learn a second language.
Post-Graduation Plans: After graduation, I plan on applying for law school in hopes of one day becoming a lawyer specializing in civil, immigration, and citizenship cases.