MLK Spotlight - Alisha: Reflecting on learning abroad in South Africa

Alisha is a senior majoring in Journalism with a minor in Leadership. This past May, she studied abroad in South Africa. She reflects on her experience in the essay below. 

When people ask me about my study abroad experience, I start off by telling the story of the climax of my trip. It occurred on a bridge near the highway. We took a break from the various activities of the day. Climbing out of the van that we spent far too much time in for my taste, we began to blindly follow our guide. We cautiously made our way up the street drawing stares from the people around us. A group of eleven Americans making their way through the township of Guguletu was not a common sight, so we had gotten used to the attention. Finally, as we made way to our destination, the purpose of our trek had become clear. Looking down from the bridge, there lay the most profound example of the juxtaposition that I had been trying to wrap my head around for the past couple weeks. To the left there were homes in a neighborhood not unlike one that could be found in the United States. Many of the homes were equipped with satellite dishes and all were guarded by high gates. Without even needing to move, you could glance over to the right to see the thousands of shacks constructed so close to each other that you could barely tell where one ended and the other began. To this day I still don’t remember what our guide was telling us, as I was too caught up in my own thoughts to give much attention to anything but the scene set before me. 

MLK Spotlight - Carolina: Making the most of an internship

This post is part of the MLK Spotlight, a regular feature on our blog. The goal is to highlight MLK student (or staff) stories, experiences, and perspectives. Have something you'd like to share? Send an email to mlkdesk@umn.edu, or ask your adviser!

Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, I have lived in the United States since the age of nine, allowing me to speak both English and Spanish fluently. Currently I am a senior at the University of Minnesota's College of Liberal Arts where I am double majoring in Global Studies and Political Science. I am also pursuing a minor in management at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. When not working or studying, I enjoy planning events for my family and friends. I love meeting new people and working in teams, and last summer when I interned for Kohl's Department store I got to do just that.

I had never thought about a career in retail, to be honest I thought store managers didn't even require a college degree and definitely did not have a high enough salary to attract people that had one. I was completely wrong. As a store management intern I got the opportunity to gain real leadership experience and was a part of the store's management team from day one. No one at Kohl's ever expected me to go on coffee runs, instead I was treated like an equal and expected to help lead the store. Kohl's gave me the opportunity to interview, hire, train, and lead store associates all while learning the difference components of running a business. What I really loved about the internship was how much responsibility and trust is awarded to you, I was expected to create and implement a project to improve some aspect (sales, people, credit, customer service, etc.) in my store, I chose to work on employee retention and at the end of my internship presented my project to regional and district managers! My internship went so well that Kohl's offered me a full time position after I graduate. I now know that a career in retail, especially one at Kohl's, is for anyone that loves working with people, enjoys an exciting work environment that is never the same two days in a row, and that likes to be challenged.

MLK Spotlight - Brooke: Looking back on a semester abroad in Buenos Aires

Brooke is a junior in the MLK Program, majoring in Political Science. This fall she is studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As she wraps up the semester, she shared with us a few pictures and looks back on her experience so far. This post is part of the MLK Spotlight, a regular feature on our blog. The goal is to highlight MLK student (or staff) stories, experiences, and perspectives. Have something you'd like to share? Send an email to mlkdesk@umn.edu, or ask your adviser!

"So why did you choose Argentina?" Sitting opposite my host mother, Maria, in her antique-adorned apartment for the first time, this question seemed nearly impossible to answer. Had I really just spent an entire semester filing out countless study abroad applications, returning email after email, and attending numerous meetings without once taking the time to ask myself why? Staring back at Maria, unable to formulate any reason, it had appeared so.

Prior to coming to Buenos Aires, I had virtually no idea of what I was getting myself into. Despite the fact that I'd studied all of the informational emails, done my fair share of browsing the Internet, and even read a variety of travel blogs, I arrived to Buenos Aires on a cold Saturday morning with no inkling of what I'd be walking away with three months later. Now as I am rapidly approaching my last weeks in the city I've come to call home, I am rushing to do, see, taste, and feel everything before it is time to board my flight back to the U.S.

MLK Spotlight - Xiaolu: Creating art and telling stories through HECUA

Xiaolu is a junior majoring in Studies in Cinema and Media Culture. Last year, she was part of the HECUA City Arts Program (now known as Art for Social Change), which explores the role of artists in the social change movement and the engagement of art in our communities. She is interested in editing short videos and making promo videos for different organizations, and she recently found her passion in animation which expands the magic of film for her. Read about Xiaolu's experience with HECUA below, and check out the videos she created as part of her program. This post is part of the MLK Spotlight, a regular feature on our blog. The goal is to highlight MLK student (or staff) stories, experiences, and perspectives. Have something you'd like to share? Send an email to mlkdesk@umn.edu, or ask your adviser!

Often times, I doubt my ability to make films and to become an artist that tells inspiring stories. On a daily basis, I struggle to find the connection between my college education and the real world. But HECUA made all of it work. A small-seminar style class created an incredible support that each of us needed, and through the four months of engaging, creating and critiquing what we learned, I walked away from the experience with more humbleness for learning. Everyone is a teacher and everyone is a learner in the HECUA community, the perspectives we trade push us to be tolerant of each other's differences, but intolerant of social injustice. I don't necessarily think that I created 'better' art during HECUA, but I really appreciate the fact that I had time to make art, thus living a expressive life. It is the 'art of making' rejuvenates my energy to explore what is it that I want out of my education.