What motivated you to choose Global Studies as your major?
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I really like interdisciplinary things and Global Studies does a really good job at having very different subjects combined in a way that makes sense.
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I am from India, but then I moved to Belgium when I was very young. Then, I moved to France for college, and then I moved here, so I’ve had a very global experience.
How did you ultimately go about picking your concentration?
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Looking at everything that is going on in the world, I feel like Peace and Conflict just felt very prominent to me. I also want to get into migration studies later on. And I’ve always worked with refugees coming out of war, so I think that just called to me.
Are there any internships you have done that stand out to you as impactful?
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I interned at BelRefugees which is an NGO in Brussels. I taught English and French, and I also gave career counseling. I realized how impactful my time was there when I had one of them text me about getting an acceptance to the local university, and then one of them got a job.
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I also worked at the Belgian Federal Reception Center for Asylum Seekers, in the section for unaccompanied minors. A lot of them would be interested in school, but faced so many barriers for them to actually go to school properly. It really geared me towards education for refugees.
What does a career in Global Studies look like to you?
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Whether it's through international organizations or local NGOs, I definitely want to work in policy where I can help contribute to changes in policy concerning the integration of refugees.
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I'd also like to explore avenues of academia and policy.
What does Global Studies mean to you?
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Global studies can be quite literally everything in the culture, it can be politics, it can be economics even. It’s a very interdisciplinary topic, you have so many opportunities to learn about different things.
Is there anything you’d say has informed or changed your perspective as a Global Studies student?
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Meeting new people. Berkeley, because it's so diverse, especially Global Studies as a major, you go to your class and people have such different experiences, or are from such different places, or have such different backgrounds.
Have you traveled and studied abroad?
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I've traveled quite a lot because my dad loves to travel, so since I was a kid, we've been traveling a lot. I've visited a lot of countries and I'm grateful for having that opportunity, and I want to continue doing that.
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I did my first two years at Sciences Po in France. Whether it's over there or here, you just learn a lot of different things through the ways they teach.
Is there any place you would consider your favorite place you’ve visited?
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From a purely touristic point of view, I really liked going to Greece and Japan.
What language are you doing for the Global Studies major?
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French. I learned French before I learned English. I started learning English when I was 12. My full elementary schooling was all in French.
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Additionally, I speak English, French, Odia, and Hindi. I’ve been learning Spanish for the last two years. I used to speak a little Flemish.
How do you approach keeping up with and learning languages?
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I watch a lot of French YouTube sometimes. I watch a lot of content from different things, that’s how I learn languages, and I want to keep doing that. Also, talking to friends.
What is your favorite place to study?
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I really like Doe. If there’s nice weather, I like sitting outside. I also study quite a lot at home. And I also love going out to random cafes. I love Chicha San Chen, the Boba place.
What is your favorite food in Berkeley?
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Sweetheart Cafe’s popcorn chicken. It's open until 2:00 a.m. and it's like the best midnight study snack in my opinion.
