Name: Mary Heng
Majors: Global Studies and Spanish
Minors: Women and Gender Studies and Business
Year at UNL: Sophomore
Hometown: York, Nebraska
Favorite dish/food and why: My Spanish host mother’s paella and alioli is one of my favorite dishes. My host family would eat paella every Sunday with all the cousins and grandparents, so this dish is tied to fond memories of my life in Spain.
Why Global Studies?
I chose Global Studies because I love experiencing other cultures, and think it is important to have an open mind and learn about the world and everyone in it. For this reason, Intercultural Communications is one of my favorite classes I’ve taken at UNL. We spent our time learning how to best communicate with people of other cultures, and even Skyped a class from a different country! I’d recommend that new Global Studies majors become friends with an international student, or take a class like Intercultural Communication, so they can have a tangible experience with a different culture, not just read about it in a textbook.
Tell us about your study abroad/internship experience.
I have not yet studied abroad through a UNL program, but did spend my entire junior year of high school in Alicante, Spain through Rotary Youth Exchange. In Alicante, I attended a Spanish speaking high school, where I took 8 different classes, followed by an intense Spanish language learning academy every day after school. Spending all day, every day speaking and listening to nothing but Spanish forced me to learn the language quickly. While in Spain, I visited dozens of small towns, big cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, and was able to take a trip to 11 different countries around Europe with my exchange student friends. Some of my favorite experiences while in Spain were being completely immersed in and learning Castellano, forming relationships with my host family, and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea almost every day.
What are you post-graduation plans?
I still have a few years until I graduate, but I would love to volunteer with the Peace Corp or work in a non-profit that helps impoverished communities in either the United States or South America.