Name: Chan Zhao
Major: Global Studies
Minors: Political Science, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, Ethnic Studies and Japanese
Hometown: Inner Mongolia, China
Year at UNL: Senior
I’ve always been interested in knowing and learning about other cultures and languages, and I enjoy the feeling of being in different countries other than my own. Global Studies offers me the opportunity to study the diversity of our world from different perspectives and that’s exactly what I need. I chose Japanese as my foreign language, Middle East as my regional specialization, and I went to Africa for my internship. Being able to know more about other parts of the world definitely broadens my eyes and keeps me open-minded.
My suggestions for new Global Studies majors are to get out of your comfortable zone and take classes in various departments and regions. You never know what the new subjects would bring you. Use the resources on campus to interact and make friends with people from other cultures and countries, they can show you a world that you’re not able to access from textbooks.
Summer 2014, I spent two months in Kenya, one month in Ethiopia. In the mornings, I taught English at local high schools; in the afternoons, I worked with local NGOs over teen issues and community development. I lived with host families and was the only foreign person in the areas I stayed. I learned how to eat with my hands and take baths with a bucket of water; I spent weekends visiting slum children and orphanage homes, also had afternoon tea with a billionaire without knowing he’s one of the richest people in the continent; I was taught "Hakuna Matata" (No worries) and learned to take it easy and be happy; I met a lot of amazing people, heard tons of awesome stories and had some of the best experiences in my life.
I just got my TEFL certificate last year. After I graduate, I planned to teach English in either Spanish or Arabic speaking countries for couple years, hopefully take classes of one of these languages and be able to communicate in it. Then I will continue my study in graduate school; my ideal careers are to work in an NGO or to be an interpreter.