Name: Marsileen Alawdi
Instagram: @Marsileenxa
Majors and Minor: Global Studies/Journalism with a French Minor
Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska
Year at UNL: Sophomore
Favorite book and why:
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. It is a beautifully written book that really talks about important phases of life and why they are important. He talks about important topics such as love and marriage, family, and work. It is an easy and quick read that will change your views on the world.
Favorite movie and why:
Little Woman by Greta Gerwig. It is one of my comfort movies and based on a book that I really enjoy. I enjoy the mix of comedy and seriousness that this movie offers. It deals with some heavy topics such as being a woman in a male dominated workplace and losing someone you love. However it also shows the loving bond between the March sisters and their friends. It’s just one of those movies that you can watch over and over again.
Why these majors and minor?
I chose to study Global Studies because I want to learn more about the world. I want to be aware of different people and cultures so that I can understand them better. I also think that Global Studies allows me to be more aware of political and social issues around the world. Sometimes we are so focused on ourselves that we don’t pay attention to what is going on around us, but global studies forces us to open our eyes.
The reason I decided to double major with Journalism is because I want to go to law school. I think that Journalism will help me prepare for that. I really enjoy journalism because it gives me creative freedom. I can take classes that focus on photography or classes that focus on writing and broadcasting. It is really up to me to decide what I want to focus on, so I think it is pretty great. One of the biggest reasons I decided to minor in French is because of my high school French teacher, Madam Van Zandt. She really showed me the beauty in knowing multiple languages. Not only do I love the French language, but I also believe that learning French and becoming a French speaker will help me in my future career.
One of my favorite courses that I have taken is JOMC 222: Social Justice, Human Rights & the Media with Kelli Boling. It talks about a lot of political and social justice issues around the world in a way that actually gets through to students. It is a discussion based class so everyone has the opportunity to say something. I also enjoy a lot of the project based classes in the Journalism school. We get to do a lot of projects with the cameras so it’s always interesting. You are also always trying new things and getting a feel for what you enjoy.
Global Studies has a lot of flexibility, It allows you to have control over a lot of what you are learning. You can choose what language you want to learn, what regions you want to study, and what themes you want to know more about. It offers a broad range of courses so there is going to be a course you enjoy no matter what it is.
Extracurricular Experiences:
I just returned from a month-long program in Angers, France in July. It was honestly one of the best experiences I have had. I went with a lot of French majors and minors from the university and got to meet people from all over the world. We had classes at CIDEF, which was a wonderful school. The teachers were absolutely amazing and really helped us improve our French comprehension skills. The program also offered a lot of excursions that really helped us discover new things about France. One of my favorites was the trip to Normandy. We went to an amazing museum and we visited a lot of the landmarks for D-Day which was just amazing to see in person. I would recommend that all students go abroad at one point or another. Not only do you get credit towards your school at UNL, but you also get to meet and network with amazing people. Not to mention that UNL has a lot of amazing scholarships that help cover the costs. The program is usually around $3-4k, but scholarships do help cover a lot of that. I really got lucky because I got my entire program paid for, which I could not be more thankful for. I also depart for SGIS Internship in Japan this week where I will be an Assistant English Teacher at Matsudo Middle School for a semester. This program is very affordable and I only have to have money for food as the rest is covered by the School.
I am also a member of the Middle Eastern and North African Association and the Yezidi club. These clubs have allowed me to meet people with similar backgrounds as me. They have also taught me new things about the University and their majors or other things that they are involved in.
Post-Graduation Plans:
After graduation, I plan to go to Law School. I want a career in an international field. I am leaning toward Humanitarian law because it allows me to help people who don’t have access to a lot of resources.
