Name: Patrick Baker
Major/Minor: Political Science and Global Studies with a minor in Arabic.
Hometown: Maryville, MO
Year at UNL: Sophomore
Favorite book and why: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell; Outliers is a novel that focuses on various case studies and analyzes what factors caused certain events and forced certain individuals to make the decisions they did. The book focuses on how individuals’ backgrounds and upbringings leave lasting impacts throughout their entire life.
Favorite movie and why: Apollo 13; This has been my all-time favorite movie since I was in elementary school! My dad and I first watched it together when I was three years old and I have been hooked ever since. As I have grown up I have learned to appreciate the movie for its amazing portrayal of the courage, bravery, and problem solving skills of all those involved in the mission.
Why Global Studies? I believe understanding different cultures, beliefs, languages, and values of different people is necessary to be successful in the workforce. Global Studies gives me the opportunity to take classes that engage me with people from various cultures as well as opens doors for me to work in a field that deals with international issues.
What are some of the best/most interesting classes you've taken? Taking Arabic as my required language has been by far my favorite and most interesting class. I have loved learning such a vast and unique language and I have met some amazing native speakers. Some of my best friends I have made at UNL have been through taking Arabic!
What are your suggestions for new Global Studies majors? It sounds cliché but step outside your comfort zone. Coming from a rural farming community in Northwest Missouri I had limited access to engaging with international issues and people from diverse backgrounds. UNL and Global Studies forced me to take courses I would have never thought of taken and they have been by far some of my favorite classes!
Out of Class Experiences: This spring I applied and was selected for the Cargill Global Scholars program. This is a selective scholarship and leadership program that is limited to only ten people in the nation. As a part of this I attended a four-day leadership development summit this summer in Minneapolis. The program extends throughout this year and into next summer through a mentorship program with a current Cargill employee. Next summer, the program finishes with a global summit where scholars from six other countries come together for a week-long conference!
Post-Graduation Plans: I hope to work in a career that allows me to work on international issues. I am unsure of exactly what I want to do but I hope to attend law school and study international law. An ideal job would be working for some sort of government agency working on foreign policy.