Global Student Profiles
Deneque Lee
Art History Major, Global Pathways Certificate: Cultural Expression and Performance. Deneque traveled to Paris with International Programs where she had an in-depth look at the avant-garde art movement in Paris and the cultural currents it sprang from. "Nothing can compare to living—if even for a short time--amongst all the places and things that have inspired you since you were a kid. My first night in Paris, I was lucky enough to attend a jazz concert after which I met the players who hailed from nearly every continent. I was surprised to note also, that most of the songs were in English, and that many French musicians have a love affair with American culture. It made for great conversation. The Global Pathways certificate encouraged me to seek out the subcultures and authentic flavor of a place by spending time with its people. The constant cultural immersion elicits a creative drive that pushed me to question, to appreciate, to enjoy."
Rachel Lubitz
International Affairs Major, Global Pathways Certificate: Human Rights. In March 2008, Rachel spent a week in Jamaica with Florida State University’s Beyond Borders doing volunteer work that included painting an infirmary at a school for the deaf and playing with the children. She also was quick to pick up some of the local dialect, which was a mix of English and Creole. “This experience heightened my respect for other cultures, increased my desire to travel and learn more from people from other countries and showed me to appreciate what I have here in the United States”.
Sandy Noel
International Affairs major, Global Pathways Certificate: Global Issues. In the spring of 2010, Sandy Noel participated in a Semester at Sea and traveled to Hawaii, Japan, China, Vietnam, India, Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana, and Brazil. The experience has given her insight into her own life; adapting to cultures not her own and communicating with various types of people. Sandy believes she “lived the dream.” A professor aboard the ship once told her that “we should never let out age get higher than the number of countries or places we visit,” and she agrees fully. “Never doubt that you cannot fulfill your dream or do something as crazy as travelling the world on a ship with five hundred plus people. Strangers at first, but now considered as family.”
Carly Rodriquez
International Affairs major, Global Pathways Certificate: Human Rights. Carly
traveled to Haiti with assistance of the Moellership Program Grant, serving at two different organizations, Real Hope for Haiti in Cazale and The Religious of Jesus and Mary in Gros Morne. "While is easy to look at Haiti from the top and see a mess of deep-rooted social and infrastructure problems, it is down at the bottom working with the people doing the little things, the things that may not feel like they are anything at all, that are making extraordinary progress. The two organizations that I have had the opportunity to work with are doing just that. Haiti was the perfect place for me to serve while exploring my views on the inaccessibility to health care that different marginalized populations often suffer and this social issues’ connectedness to the “right to a standard of living adequate” as the Universal Declaration of Human Right states."
Samantha Rood
International Affairs major, Global Pathways Certificate: International Development. In the summer of 2010, Samantha Rood participated in Jacksonville University’s International Exchange Program in Guayaquil, Ecuador. During the exchange she worked and cared for children in a center for malnourished infants and was given the opportunity to learn a new culture, as well as practicing and improving her Spanish language skills. Samantha says that being a part of an international exchange “opened my eyes to see how the majority of the world lives, and while some may not see it as a particularly appealing lifestyle, I found it refreshing to see people not caught up in the drama of material goods.” Her experience has taught her that helping in a little way is of great value and to never be skeptical or scared to trust others.