Name: Josselyn Vazquez-Catalan
Major/Minor: Global Studies and Ethnic Studies with a minor in Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs
Hometown: Wakefield, NE
Year at UNL: Sophomore
Favorite book and why: My favorite book is called “The book of the Unknown Americans”, by Christiana Henriquez. I actually was lent this book by my emerging leader mentor because I was working on a paper about immigration and she thought I would like it. It’s one of my favorite books because it shows the struggles that people go through to try to make a living here and do better for their families. The book consists of different families and their stories on how they got to America and all the work they have done to get where they are at the end of the day. It shows that if you work hard you can achieve all your dreams.
Favorite movie and why: My favorite movie is “The Impossible”. It is a tear-jerking movie that is based on a true story about a family who gets caught in a deadly tsunami that happens while they on vacation in Thailand. My favorite scene is when the dad hasn’t been able to get in contact with his family and this random guy gives him his cellphone to use even though he has little battery and he hasn’t been able to get in contact with his family either. This is my favorite scene and movie because it shows that in tragic occasions everyone is willing to help even if they don’t know any of the people in the tragedy.
Why Global Studies? So, I actually was an international business major at first, but I ended up switching to Global Studies because it was more of a fit for me. One of the reasons I choose global studies was because it is a personal major and by that I mean that you get to meet new people from all over and make connections from all over the world which I love. I love meeting new people and try to help out others and, in my opinion, Global Studies has various opportunities that allow me to do this. One of the most interesting classes I have taking is Intro to Global Studies with Emira because I learned so many new things and one of my favorite things about her classes was were map quizzes which helped me learn all the countries in the world. Another one of my favorite classes was History of the Holocaust because it gave me more information of what happened. One major suggestion I have is to take advantage of all the opportunities and scholarships that the Global Studies department offers because there are so many great opportunities out there. Also, apply for everything even if you believe that you won’t get it, just do it so that you can say you at least tried.
Education Abroad: This past summer I went on a study abroad about the history of Europe with Dr. Hana Waisserova from Czech Language Program. While there we had different lectures from people who wrote revolutionary books and snuck them into the country because at that time some subjects were not allowed to be written. The trip consisted of us being based mostly in the Czech Republic, but we also visited Germany and Poland. One thing that stands out a lot to me from the trip was the visit to Auschwitz.
Post-Graduation Plans: Right now, I am not sure what I want to do after graduation but one thing that I am sure about is that I want to help people around the world. I want to help people that are less fortunate and that don’t have all the proper necessities they need to live a healthy and prosperous lives. I plan to apply to Peace Corps after graduation.