An Introductory Statement
I took one international-related course in High School. One. Modern Civilization was required, and it was the only class throughout my High School career that had a global focus. Though I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, looking back I realize that we neglected a certain region - Africa. We talked about Egypt for a week, and even then, my teacher referred to Egypt as the Middle East. This was a history course, and as is with any High School class, we were not pushed to apply our historical context to modern day. Needless to say, I entered college with absolutely no path, no drive, and no knowledge of global affairs.
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That being said, I decided last minute to declare International Studies rather than going in undecided. I walked into the first meeting for freshman IS majors only to find out that I was woefully unprepared. The program director, Dr. Kenneth Grieb, was going on and on about all the classes we should be signed up for that I had never heard of until that moment. I got so frustrated that I literally stood up and said, "Well this would've been nice to know before signing up for my lame freshman gen eds!" Immediately regretting my decision to sound like a brat, I was surprised when Dr. Grieb clapped back with, "Yeah everyone in the Student Success Center is useless, we'll take care of it for you." From that moment on, I knew I was going to love Dr. Grieb and IS.
ABOUT ME
Steph
Liechty
Before meeting Dr. Grieb in class, I was introduced to the Model United Nations team on campus of which he was the long-term adviser (see more about my MUN experience). Every meeting, I found myself hanging on his every word. There was SO MUCH I didn't know about international/global affairs, it was embarrassing sometimes. But I also LOVED learning about it. Dr. Grieb was an excellent lecturer, despite his "old man methods" of using a projector with printed out Word Art. He was engaging, and sometimes he yelled just to make sure everyone was still listening. He was big on development and the developing world perspective. As he would always say, "I grew up watching cowboy and Indian movies, and I always found myself rooting for the Indians." I was fascinated and jumped completely on board with MUN and IS, as both of them emphasized a global outlook for solving international issues.
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I applied the knowledge I got from Dr. Grieb in nearly all of my classes. Every English paper was about a political or cultural issue, every political science free essay was about sub-Saharan Africa, and every speech for Communications class was about globalism. I loved the IS major because I got to take so many interdisciplinary classes with wildly different professors and adapt my worldview in different ways. I was challenged every step of the way, which is what kept me interested in learning more. But it also provided me with opportunity to excell outside of the classroom. IS drove me to find what I am most passionate about: human rights, solving complex political and social problems, and the sharing of knowledge.
ew people leave college knowing what drives them, many people just pick a major for the job opportunities afterwards. My favorite question I get from my family and friends is, "An IS major? What do you do with that?" Well I can do whatever I want because I was able to get a well-rounded education that focused on honing my personal skills, applying them to different situations, and thinking critically to solve problems.
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As far as the future goes, I've never been good at planning ahead. Instead, I tend to get 100% wrapped up in whatever project, research, or idea I have for MUN. But luckily, I was able to explore my passions during my time at UWO. I trust that my gut and my need to be a contributor rather than an onlooker will lead me to the right path.
To start, I will be heading to China this Summer for three weeks with my little sister (she will be an incoming IS freshman at UWO this Fall!). Asian studies is wonderfully diverse, and something I never really had the chance to study intently during my undergrad, but I have faith that this trip will be as enlightening as it will be fun!
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Upon my return home, I will be actively applying for graduate school (University of Washington or University of Wisconsin-Madison), grants to further my research abroad (many through the US State Department), and job opportunities (looking at both non-profit work and internships in Washington DC). Whatever I decide, I know for sure that I want to travel to (at least) West Africa to conduct research or complete some non-profit work. Fittingly, the MUN team voted me to be "most likely to run off to Africa and never come back." I've happily learned SO MUCH about Africa as a whole and several individual countries, but you can only learn so much from reading and compiling research. IS has prepared me for a global experience outside the classroom, and I can't wait to get started!