Majors: Global Studies and Economics
Year in school: Senior
Hometown: Omaha, NE
Favorite book and why?
My favorite book is Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman. It’s about this guy and his brother getting trapped in a cursed carnival come-to-life and having to face their traumas to escape. I really enjoy all the mind-bending reality changes and characters who self-reflect and accept the choices they’ve made.
Favorite movie and why?
I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I grew up watching it with my dad and I love the rich world all the characters live and interact in.
Why Global Studies and Economics?
I chose Global Studies because I felt like a political science degree would be too narrow. I was interested in transnational issues like globalization and immigration and wanted a major that was more interested in the work of the United Nations than the US Congress. I took economics classes both as electives and as part of my Global Studies degree, and found that I really enjoyed it. Looking into why people make the decisions they do, the actual effects of different economic policies, and getting to crunch Excel spreadsheets into graphs all fascinated me, so I made Economics my second major.
Favorite Classes:
I think my favorite classes have been CRPL 400: Intro to Planning, ECON 417: Data Visualization and Analysis, and a class I took abroad about the expanding use of AI in warfare. I’ve found I enjoy classes with lots of practical application and classes that make you put in a lot of your own research/effort. Classes that make you invest yourself are the classes you’ll learn the most from in my experience, so don’t be scared to take a class that’s harder or more demanding; especially if it’s something that really interests you. I think Global Studies has helped me to look at things with a wider perspective. It’s also helped me to be a better writer and made me more aware of world history and cultural differences. Economics has taught me more about how to evaluate policies, how to crunch data, and how to accept that things often considered “common sense” aren’t always correct when you look at the data. If any of this sounds appealing, they’re certainly majors worth investigating.
Extracurricular Experience:
Last semester I studied abroad at the University of Amsterdam. I just got back at the end of January because their school system is arranged differently. The Netherlands is one of the happiest countries on Earth and Amsterdam is an amazing city not only architecturally, but in terms of its policy and urban planning, so I was really excited to see it in person. My study was an exchange program, not lead by faculty or a company, so the responsibilities of my study were mostly on me, which was hard, but the experience introduced me to all kinds of people and things I had never imagined. Most people visit Amsterdam in the spring for the tulips, but I loved seeing the Christmas markets, metro stations, canals and boats, oliebollen carts, and even the winter lights festival.
Post-Graduation Plans:
This fall I plan to take the Foreign Service Officer Test for the US State Department in hopes of joining the Consular’ s office. If that doesn't work out, I’m looking into working with the FDIC or other Federal positions. Having degrees in Global Studies and Economics opens a lot of doors.
