I have always wanted to see the world, and
since coming to WVU, I’ve been to eight
different countries, and I’ve lived on four
continents. So, I may be a little biased,
but I think it’s safe to say that international
studies is the best major on campus because
it’s very interdisciplinary. I’ve gotten
to take classes in history, political science,
geography, economics and many different fields,
and it’s incredibly customizable depending
on your interests and goals post-graduation.
For example, you get to pick an area of emphasis,
whether it be in international development
like me or security and diplomacy or international
business, and you also get to pick a region
of emphasis. So, my region of emphasis is
Africa and the Middle East, so a lot of my
curriculum is focused around politics in the
Middle East, or African literature or the
Arabic language, things that will make me
a competitive applicant for jobs in those
regions post-graduation. I think one of the
biggest changes that I’ve made personally
since studying at WVU has been my relationship
with West Virginia as a state. For so much
of my young life, I thought that the end goal
was to leave West Virginia, to move to a big
city. But after getting the opportunity to
understand the history of West Virginia, understand
Appalachian culture a little bit more and
interact with people that are really doing
all of the work to make this region a better
place, I have a new drive and ambition to
be a part of the positive change in West Virginia
and Appalachia as a whole, and I’m so thankful
that I decided to come to WVU. I would say
that a Mountaineer is willing to go first,
is willing to blaze a trail, is willing to
go against the grain but that doesn’t necessarily
mean going alone. You can charge your own
path at WVU, but you’ll always have the
support of the community here, whether that
be the students, the faculty, the staff, the
administration, what have you. The news about
being an Eberly Scholar came at the exact
time that I needed it. In fact, I had just
come home from having my internship in Tanzania
cut short due to the coronavirus, so it was
just that bit of good news that I needed to
keep myself in good spirits during a bit of
a challenging time, and it’s such an incredible
feeling to be recognized by your university
and validated that the work that you’re
doing is important and recognized.
