Name: Sarah Svoboda
Major/Minor: Global Studies/Business
Hometown: Scottsbluff, NE
Year at UNL: Senior
Favorite book and why: My favorite book is The Book Thief because it gives a heart-wrenching look into the struggles and sacrifices of people (especially the young) in war-torn Germany during World War II. The fact that the book is written from the viewpoint of Death makes reading it an incredibly humbling and sobering experience.
Favorite dish/food and why: Indian food or Vietnamese food. I love the unique flavors and complexities of these kinds of foods, even though I can’t remember nor pronounce most of the names of the dishes.
Why Global Studies?
I chose Global Studies as my major because I believe with the ever-expanding interactions between international states, it is a very important field for our day and age. As the world becomes more and more globalized, I think more people should take advantage of the opportunities we have to learn about our fellow countries. If we could all understand each other better, I believe we could put a lot of the current tensions and strife behind us. I have always enjoyed my foreign-nation history classes the most (especially Europe) because I find the past of other countries very intriguing. A few suggestions I have for new Global Studies majors is that you can never learn enough about a certain country or its history, government, day to day life, etc. Every new thing you learn will have an impact on the way you see the world around you.
Tell us about your study abroad/internship experience: I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain the fall of 2015. It was definitely a culture shock and not at all what I thought it would be like. I had the most fun outside of Barcelona, exploring other cities and admiring the vast differences in culture and demographics. My favorite was definitely Pampolona because I think it had the most interesting culture and history. It was also cool to see the places Ernest Hemingway spent a lot of his time and took his inspirations from. I took classes such as European Geopolitics and Understanding the European Union, as well as Spanish courses. The European-specific courses offered a lot of insight into the bonds between European countries and how they handle conflicts while being so close together. Everyday life in Spain was fascinating because there is so much history everywhere you look. It seem liked there was a massive, gorgeous cathedral on every block and a ridiculous amount of buildings that to my eyes were an architectural wonder.
What are you post-graduation plans?: I plan on going to law school, hopefully here in Lincoln or maybe Omaha. I want to do a joint degree program and receive an MBA as well as a JD. My idea career would be working as an international corporate lawyer.