Name: Melissa Allen
Major/Minor: Global Studies, Geography, minor in French
Hometown: Lincoln, NE
Year at UNL: Senior
Why Global Studies?
I decided in high school that I wanted to work through an international platform after spending 6 weeks in Paris, France and attending an international language institution. I started my student career at UNL as a global studies major before adding Geography in the second semester of my freshmen year. My regional concentration is Africa, and my thematic specializations are Global Resources & the Environment and Global Security. My favorite class concerning international affairs has been Nonwestern Politics (POLS272). That class really opened my eyes to political philosophies of the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and has influenced the way I view democracy in other parts of the world.
My suggestions for new Global Studies majors is to get involved in anything you can at UNL, and not just things directly related to global studies. During my time at UNL, I have been a news reporter for the Daily Nebraska for three years, an Intercultural Aide for UNL Housing for two years, and ice cream scooper at the Dairy Store for three years on top of other major-related activities. And you should find any opportunity to volunteer, volunteer, volunteer anywhere.
Tell us about your study abroad/internship experience.
During my time at UNL, I've been in two education abroad programs, both in rural Ethiopia. The first time I went to Ethiopia was summer 2014, and I did a brief assessment of soil quality at two locations in the countryside. The second time I visited Ethiopia was this past winter break, and this time I did an in-depth assessment of soil quality and farmer perceptions of one location in rural Ethiopia. This past time was also integrated into a UCARE project I am working on with Dr. Martha Mamo in the plant sciences department.
This semester I am also doing three internships with the Groundwater Foundation, UNL Office of Sustainability, and a virtual internship with the PeaceCorps Office of Innovations as a humanitarian mapper. I also volunteer weekly for Lincoln Literacy as a literacy tutor, and am the Co-President of Model United Nations here on campus.
It's not always easy juggling these projects and activities, but I'm glad I started to work on my time-management skills early on in my student career by pushing myself to be involved in a variety of campus initiatives and learning what my priorities/goals are.
What are you post-graduation plans?
I graduate this May, and I've been accepted to work as a food-service worker at Yellowstone National Park for the whole summer. Two weeks after I am finished there, I leave for Morocco for 27 months to join the PeaceCorps as a volunteer in Youth and Development. After that, I'm going to work towards getting my Master's Degree in either International Affairs or Global Security (hopefully).