Woman smiling.
I am a senior, graduating this May with a double-major in Business Administration and
Political Science
. In the coming academic year, I will be on a Fulbright scholarship as an English Teaching Assistant at a university in Romania.

When I first arrived at
Chapman University
, I was not entirely sure of my decision to be a Business Administration major. From a young age, I had traveled to Romania every summer to visit my grandparents. Through my visits there, I became particularly interested in the issues of poverty and political and economic development. Essentially, I wanted to understand what it took to change governments, economies, and people’s socio-economic state for the better. After my first semester, I decided to remain a Business Administration major with an International Business emphasis, and I declared a double-major in Political Science in order to better understand and eventually address some of the complex issues facing our world as a future policy analyst or consultant.

As I wanted to play an active part in shaping and improving the Chapman community, I embraced the countless opportunities to become involved and provide input through the Freshman Class Council, the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Board, and the Argyros Dean’s Advisory Council. During my time on the Argyros Dean’s Advisory Council, our cohort developed the peer advising program to enhance the student experience at the Argyros School. For approximately two years thereafter, I served as a peer advisor at the Argyros School. Through this position, I have helped encourage, guide, and help students navigate their academic course and successfully prepare for their futures beyond Chapman. This experience has also prepared me for a Fulbright ETA.

I sought out practical opportunities to complement my studies through professional and student leadership positions. After various non-profit experiences my freshman year, I realized I wanted to work in improving the world through different means with the potential to make a broader impact. In my second year, I became an intern for Congressman John Campbell, who served on the Financial Services Committee and the Joint Economic Committee. During my sophomore year, I was chosen to join a panel of student leaders to discuss the necessity of peace and global justice with Elie Wiesel. As a life-long learner, I understand the crucial role of education for development, promoting international education as a peer advisor and student leader. As President of the Honor Society for International Studies and the United Nations Association at Chapman, my student leadership positions have allowed me to foster a community of students passionate about global justice by creating forums for discussion of international issues, coordinating conferences for the United Nations Association at Chapman University, and organizing demonstrations with student performances to promote international human rights through artistic expression.

Recently, I have been working as a research assistant for various professors across campus.  Whether assisting in the quantitative analysis of economic development in South Sudan, or examining the nature of frozen conflicts in Eastern Europe, these opportunities have defined my Chapman experience and motivated me to pursue graduate study in these fields.

A Fulbright ETA in Romania presents an opportunity to not only reconnect with my cultural heritage, but also to develop my formal Romanian vocabulary and engage in scholarly dialogue with students and professors. Aside from my English Teaching Assistant duties, I hope to engage in library research to prepare a formal study project on political and economic development in Romania. I also hope to volunteer with local nonprofit organizations that work to alleviate poverty. Working in Romania through a Fulbright ETA, especially at a university, will prepare me for a lifetime of work in international development. By establishing a relationship with university students as an ETA, I will learn how they perceive international issues and what they see for the future economically and politically, while helping them gain the language keys to open possibilities in our global world. Therefore, a Fulbright ETA will provide an immensely valuable grassroots and academic perspective of political and economic realities, which is essential to my goal of working as a policy analyst or consultant to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. My undergraduate career here at Chapman has been essential to shaping and preparing me for a Fulbright ETA. As incredible as these past four years have been, I am confident that greater things are yet to come.