I came to Plymouth State University as a "Pre-Interdisciplinary Studies" student. I knew from the very beginning that this was going to be the perfect program for me. Over the past four years the main idea for my degree has stayed the same. Yet, overtime I was able to really narrow it down to exactly what I wanted to do. Finishing my degree program, the title of my major is Global Education and Policy. My contract is composed of courses from disciplines such as Education, Political Science, Sociology and Social Psychology, Tourism, Spanish, and Cultural Anthropology. From the big picture I feel as though someone from the outside might just see a list of similar courses, but where I was really able to dive into my program title was within each course. In the political science course, Women and World politics, I wrote a ten page research paper about the #MeToo movement around the world. In Travel and Tourism I wrote a scholarly journal response to the growing tourism industry in Cuba, and how American foreign policy with Cuba will determine our new founded relationship with the historical country. In a graduate course, Social Behavior in a Diverse Society, I wrote a 30 page analytical paper about how Americans are perceived while traveling abroad, and why or how we change our self-presentation while traveling in order to represent a greater population than just the self. I have used my courses to teach myself about the variation in education systems around the world. The individual courses have truly allowed me to build an education that supplements my career path immensely.
My sophomore year during International Education Week, we hosted a Fulbright Film showing titled "Schooling the World: The White Man's Last Burden". I didn't expect that the film would have such a huge impact on my knowledge about education around the world. As stated in my Research Article, this film, "focuses on a group of the Ladakh peoples in the northern Indian Himalayas. The younger generations have began to send their children to the Moravian Mission School - a christian based westernized institution, founded by German missionaries in 1887, leaving behind the elderly to keep up with the land - ultimately making the culture, people, and environment suffer. This case study follows and examines the falsified culture of education aid projects and the path to a "better life". It displays the mounting effects on the environment, social lives, and mental health, at a cost to fit todays consumer driven global society. The outcomes of this cultural displacement range from childhood depression, adulthood depression, substance abuse, economic breakdown and hardships, and climate change". This film gave me the idea to explore deeper in the the effects that sustainable development and the goal for quality education has on indigenous peoples around the world.
Overall, this topic taught me about the importance of how education and environmental sustainability are two incredibly interconnected themes within society, but especially within indigenous societies. Not only does this apply specifically within the indigenous community, but with a broader perspective it can apply to many systems of education. We must educate the youth of the world to be able to enter a sustainable society. Whether they are from the Himalayas, Costa Rica, Finland, the US, or Spain.
For my Applied Project I went in a much different direction. In addition to In the past 5 years, I have been traveling quite frequently, and have been to over 15 countries. I have always received questions from people on how I have been able to travel in the extent that I have. How did I afford it? How did I find flights? So I thought it would be a cool idea to finally share my tricks, tips, and stories with the world (although my podcast only reached about 100 people from my Facebook and Twitter, I received so many praises about the content). I feel as though I was able to have an impact on some people and the way that they think about traveling, (especially my mom, who has never quite understood my addiction for travel until listening to my podcasts and traveling to Costa Rica for the first time this past March... she didn't want to leave!). I was also able to enjoy reliving a lot of my travel, and was able to document it through the podcasts.
Together, these two projects may not seem to compliment each other. But in each form, I feel as though these are two things that I can continue as I go through life, travel, and further education. I have honestly found a passion in quality education and indigenous education, and can see myself doing further research on it in the future, and hopefully incorporating it into my career. In conjunction with my courses and experience as an IDS major, I feel as though I have set a path for myself in my education and career that will make me successful.
The beauty of Interdisciplinary Studies and the program here at PSU, is that it doesn't just create one path, it creates an entire map, and you can choose which road you go down. I feel as though this perfectly describes my situation. There are many opportunities out there for me, and I know that I will find and do what I love.