Name: Adi Mehlin
Instagram handle: @j.adelai
Majors and Minors: Political Science and Global Studies; with minors in Spanish, National Security Studies, and History
Hometown: Lincoln, NE
Year at UNL: Senior
Favorite book and why: I am a huge romantasy fan and loved A Court of Thorns and Roses. This book reminds me to keep on dreaming and never settle for less than I have earned!
Favorite movie and why: The Count of Monte Cristo. My dad and I had a tradition to play Zelda and watch this movie anytime I was sick. It reminds me of being a kid and not having a care in the world!
Why Global Studies?
My Global Studies major allowed me to pursue a ton of my interests at once. I was on the younger side when I started college, and I'll be a pretty young graduate too. There was/is so much pressure to choose what I wanted to do with my life. Although I've changed goals and career paths at least half a dozen times, Global Studies has always remained useful and interesting to me! I was able to easily work in plenty of minors and even another major, which allowed to specialize even further in the things I found interest in.
As a Political Science double major, I've focused on lot on the international relations and human rights side of things. I love anything related to this, but a couple highlights would be POLS472 State Terror, POLS476 Ethnic Conflict, and ANTH353 Anthropology of War. I think global studies is an awesome major to add an international focus to any other major, whether business, political science, or even STEM. Even just taking a few classes towards a minor really gives you an awesome perspective. The courses allow for so much flexibility that you can really tailor it to your own interests.
Extracurricular Experiences:
I studied abroad in Bilbao, Spain. This program was amazing! I love to travel so much (as can be seen in my pictures) and UNL/the GLST department was awesome in supporting these plans. While I was there, I met students from all over the world, including Ukraine, Egypt, China, and other students from around America. We had so much time to explore, eat good food, and really get the most out of our time there.
While at UNL, I've been super involved with the Honors Peer mentoring program, and a whole slew of fun clubs/sports. This is my 3rd semester helping to lead/TA an honors course, which has been an awesome learning experience. It really helped me develop a love for education and teaching that I want to pursue post-grad. I've also been involved with the dodgeball team, ballroom dance, and orchestra on campus. Although I have kind of an on-again-off-again relationship with clubs, I love having the flexibility to pursue my passions as I want to! I was also a member and vice-president of IC Scholars on campus. This is an awesome organization for anyone interested in intelligence work (such as your government 3 letter agencies). Although I didn't end up taking this direction for my career path, I made so many good friends and cultivated relationships with professors that I still work with today. I would definitely recommend trying a ton of different extracurriculars to help cultivate your own interests!
Post-Gradation Plans:
As of now, I plan to do a master's program in secondary education with an endorsement in social studies. Like I said, my interests are always changing, and I can definitely see myself coming back to school for a doctorate, post-secondary teaching, or something completely different. Luckily, my global studies degree will show a wide range of experiences that qualifies me for plenty of options!