Name: Maddie Thorn
Major: Global Studies
Minors: Spanish and Communication Studies
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Year at UNL: Senior
Why Global Studies? I chose Global Studies due to my desire and thirst to learn about and from different cultures, places and people around the world. I am always seeking out my next adventure abroad that will bring this big world a little bit closer to home. What drew me to a GLST major is my ambition to not only understand diverse cultures, but it gives me the opportunity to help people through the thematic specialization of Human Rights. It also gives me the ability to have a flexible schedule, taking classes in many different areas of study. One of my favorite classes throughout my college career has been Intercultural Communication. It enhances your knowledge on how to interact with other cultures and you put these theories to test while skyping another classroom from around the world! To new students in the major I suggest to minor in a foreign language. Having the ability to speak a different language opens up so many doors whether it be through your career or simply travel!
Tell us about your study abroad/internship experience. I have been fortunate enough to not only have studied abroad not once, but twice. My first experience abroad was on a Gap Year Program to Ecuador. I spent 10 months attending a local high school and living in the highlands with hosts that became family. I learned and experienced more than I ever could have imagined traveling to every part of the country from the Amazon Rain Forest to the Galapagos Islands! Last Spring Semester began the start of my second adventure studying abroad with Cultural Experience Abroad (CEA) in Seville, Spain. I was looking for a different experience and culture in a new part of the world and that is exactly what I found. The Autanamous community of Andalucia is southern Spain is know for their prominent dialect of the language. I was able to enhance my language skills and adapt to a different way of speaking Spanish than before. I learned about the Spanish Culture and History through my classes as well as Food, Wine, and other festivities popular in the country.
Seville is the most magical city on the European continent and I spent my days wandering the never ending cobble stone streets, eating churros with chocolate, and hanging with friends by the river. With finding a new part of the city each week, I was able to utilize these adventures toward my photography class and which lead to me winning the Education Abroad Fair Photo Contest! I traveled to 16 different countries throughout the six months I was abroad learning and taking a little bit with me from everywhere that I went. I rode a camel in Morocco, visited Auschwitz in Poland, and successfully road tripped through Croatia. I will never loose sight of the memories and experiences I gained from my time abroad.
What are you post-graduation plans? I am currently in the process of applying for a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English starting next August in Mexico. If this is not where life takes me, I plan on teaching English in Spain next year or attaining an Internship Abroad. Following this, I plan to work for a company that gives back to people around the world and utilize my Spanish language skills in doing so. I will have become a trained cultural ambassador and will succeed in whatever career field I choose. I am bound to work with people who I can relate to on this level and with whom I can bridge the gaps of cultural differences.