For our final Major Matters episode of the season, Emma and Cadie are joined by Tereana Battle to discuss the Global Affairs program!
EMMA: Hello, welcome to CHSS Connection, a podcast where we interview different students about all things CHSS, from academics to careers to everything in between. This is a student success podcast for CHSS students by CHSS students. However, if you're not a CHSS student, welcome. We're so glad you're here. I'm Emma Howard. CADIE: I'm Cadie Junker. BOTH: And we're your hosts. CADIE: In this episode, we're discussing CHSS's Global Affairs program. Today, we're joined by a senior in the CHSS program of Global Affairs and also within BAM, who's pursuing her master's in public administration. The former VP of membership and development within student government, a jubilant patriot family leader, Bonner alumni, developer and researcher of the Multicultural Anti-Bullying Workshop. And she is so excited to be here with us today. And I'm so excited to be here with her today. Please welcome to the podcast, Tereana Battle. Tereana, thank you so much for joining us. How are you doing? TEREANA: I'm doing well, and I'm so happy to be here. CADIE: We're happy that you're here. EMMA: So to get started, Tereana, can you tell us about your experience in the Global Affairs program? TEREANA: Yes. So I've had such a wonderful and impactful experience in the Global Affairs program at CHSS. It has provided me with so many opportunities, internships, and just also amazing friendships and communities here on campus and outwardly. And I cannot wait to talk about more in depth of what I've done while being here for the past four years. CADIE: Yay. And can you tell us just a little bit or a lot, however much you want, what drew you to major in GLOA? TEREANA: Yes. So I remember when I was a senior in high school and it was during the pandemic. And during that time, I was just exposed to so many different cultures that I was not used to. I think because I grew up in a very suburban, almost rural-esque community, that they did not give us the knowledge or the awareness of the history of people outside of us or the languages. We were only learning European languages. And it was fascinating to figure out that here in the middle school and high schools in Northern Virginia, they teach Asian languages and languages that are dead or just like something that was unfamiliar to me, which was intriguing. And so I only applied to three colleges. And when I got accepted to two of them, I got waitlisted on the third because I didn't submit an essay, that I realized that this was the only college that had Global Affairs. And so I knew I wanted a career where I could travel and meet new people and just like have more information on that. So I decided to join Global Affairs at George Mason University. CADIE: That sounds great. Can I ask you, where did you grow up? If you don't mind sharing with us. TEREANA: Yeah, no worries. I grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia, Southern Virginia, about three hours away from here. CADIE: Very cool. TEREANA: Yeah. EMMA: I know you're proud of the 757. TEREANA: Yeah, 757! EMMA: I love to rep it. So, Tereana, do you have a concentration in your major? Does GLOA offer that? TEREANA: Yes. My concentration is Global Governance. EMMA: What drew you to that concentration? TEREANA: I believe I knew I wanted to work in the government field. My sister, she pursued an arts degree, but I also saw that like she did well in the federal work field. And so I wanted something that was reliable, but something that was also just intriguing to me as well. I think I've mentioned it before, where like, compared to government and international politics, that Global Affairs was more broad and allowed me to have more flexibility and diversify my portfolio, and like, the many interests that I have. EMMA: Very neat. What is something about your concentration that people may find surprising? TEREANA: I think that you will find surprising that the United Nations is something that cannot execute what you believe can. Like international law, it's not very formal. It's just a norm. And so I think Global Governance just shows you how different international governments are made up, and like how they work together and how they don't work together. CADIE That sounds really, really cool. Can you tell us a little bit about the core classes that you've taken for GLOA and for your major? Well, your major is GLOA, but you know what I mean. TEREANA: Yes. So some of the core classes that I took were Foreign Policy, American Diplomacy, and my capstone class. That was similar to a democracy or diplomacy lab. One of those, we got to go to the State Department because my professor worked there and present our research there. And so I really got to learn the like importance of policies and how they like shape our nation and how they shape just like the market and the world as a whole. Just from a simple thing of writing and like making it real due to the representatives in Congress that we have established today. EMMA: Very neat. I would actually like to take some of those classes. TEREANA: Yes, please. EMMA: They sound really cool. So you've talked about the core classes. Can you tell us about some of the major specific elective courses you've taken? TEREANA: I think that would fall into the foreign languages. And so, I know that we need a foreign language proficiency whenever you pursue a Bachelor's of Arts. But I was able to just dive deeper into a plethora of different languages than the one I found proficiency in. So, I did the proficiency or fluency in Mandarin, which was super awesome. I learned Hanza, which is like the meaning of the Mandarin characters that like you write and read. And I also learned ASL, which was super awesome. And Spanish, I did get to study abroad because of my major. So I was able to go to Spain. And I think a lot of that Spanish was just like a reminder of what I got to experience. But those were like the electives on top of Inquiry to Action, where I got to do research on first-generation people of color students and their mental health, and how that category impacts them and their scholastic success, and also just their well-being as a whole. CADIE: That sounds insanely impressive. And you brought up Spain. And the reason my eyes went really wide is because I also went to Spain. TEREANA: Hey! In Madrid? CADIE: Yes! Did you do Global Gateway? TEREANA: Yes! I was a Global Gateway kid! CADIE: I loved Global Gateway. TEREANA: Yes, it was the best. I want to go back. CADIE: Me too, me too. I saw that they're doing like a semester-long experience in Granada. I didn't get the opportunity to go, but a bunch of my friends did. And they were all like, Granada's amazing. TEREANA: Please! I loved it. My favorite was Cordoba. I felt like it was a little Italy. CADIE: I loved Cordoba! TEREANA: Yes, it was beautiful. CADIE: Oh my gosh. Or I think my favorite was Malaga. TEREANA: I don't know if they took us there or not. CADIE: That was something that I did. TEREANA: Okay, cool. CADIE: It was the end of the semester, and I went to Malaga on a solo trip to celebrate. Because UC3M put me through the ring around. TEREANA: Yes! They're intense. You only have three grades. Because did you go to Universidad de Madrid, Carlos III? CADIE Yeah. TEREANA: You had to write essays for your exams and just hope that you passed. And so I really enjoyed it that way for some reason, because I like to write. But I know a lot of people hated that. CADIE: Yeah, it was very much like your grade... you don't know what your grade is before you walk into your final. And then your final is like 50% of your grade. It's very different from here. TEREANA: Yes. CADIE: To get back onto track. TEREANA: Yeah, sure. CADIE: Just a little bit. EmMA: It's nice to know that if the intention of this podcast never works out, it could absolutely turn into a GEO Global Gateway podcast. TEREANA: Oh, I love Global Gateway so much. CADIE: I love Global Gateway. TEREANA: Shout out to them. CADIE: Shout out. Shout out to GEO. Shout out to Leslie Durham. TEREANA: Yes! Because she was my professor! My teacher assistant was Maria. Now she works for GEO. She went to Italy for some time. She came back. And I'm like, you're literally living the dream. CADIE: Yeah, no, literally. So Global Affairs. Speaking of Italy and international travel, let's talk about Global Affairs. EMMA: Nice segue. CADIE: Thank you. Thank you. What's the best class that you've taken here as part of the GLOA program? TEREANA: I want to say, oh, there's so many. Like, the class I'm going to say, I think, is because, oh my gosh, those are our co-workers. But the class I'm going to say is definitely my capstone GLOA slash Government 400 class with Dr. Kim. Shout out to Dr. Kim. I believe that class, although it gave me a lot of anxiety, is that it also challenged me and pushed me in ways I didn't know were possible. Because he was always just having us discuss and debate and really prove our points as to why and how we believed in something and why something should happen. And just also learning how to work with classmates that had different opinions. He also just gave us a lot of simulations that we had to participate in that were real-life situations and how to go about that. He also just exposed us and connected us to amazing people that work for the government, which is what we're here for. He also just allowed us to build relationships and friendships within the classroom. And I'm just extremely appreciative of what he's done in my life. Whenever I look back, I can only name almost less than a handful of people that have challenged me and pushed me to actually work for my grade and what I want to do in my life. I'm forever grateful and appreciative of those kind of teachers. CADIE: Can I ask a follow-up question? TEREANA: Yes. CADIE: What did you have to do for your capstone? I'm taking my capstone class right now. And I'm really curious because I know for different majors, it's different projects, it's different things. TEREANA: Yes. CADIE: What is it for GLOA? TEREANA: Mine, so I was in another program, like a cohort, so I had a couple capstones. But this class in particular, according to GLOA, was I did a initiative where you find a country specifically in Africa that the government should collaborate with for national security reasons and talk about which energy source or how to promote national security and build those alliances and relationships abroad because it is essential for our safety as well as what we can do internally. And so we proposed geothermal energy, which may not be so popular with our administration, but we proposed that and just showed the methods and not just how it would benefit America, but benefit that country. We focused on Tanzania and just countries in the Horn of Africa. And I was really proud of that because we were able to do executive summaries. We had to just show the sources and be able to apply and reiterate what we wrote down and not just like, oh, I got this from the Internet and I'm just putting in my paper. And it was like you had to put your heart and your blood, sweat and tears in everything that you did because you will be questioned and examined as if you're an expert and specialist in that field. EMMA: That's really cool. Now, you alluded to this earlier in your recent response, but which professors do you recommend other GLOA students take? TEREANA: Mmm, so always go to Dr. Kim. Also, I really and everyone loves him, like everyone that takes his class. You don't have to be a GLOA student, I believe. But Professor Al Fuertes, I don't know if y'all heard of him. He is phenomenal, even though he taught on a subject that I was familiar with because I was taking an internship about it, that he just expounded on it and expounded my mind and allowed us to really experience and empathize with the people that were impacted because we talked about displaced individuals. And it's just disheartening to see what happens when you don't have an identity and when you have to flee, and just the social and psychological impacts it has on kids and people groups. And so, him. And I also want to say Miss Fatima. She did a conflict resolution class. So I don't know her last name, but definitely look for her. And lastly, I'll say Lou Shurchin. She really helped make it seem like Mandarin was simple. And so it was very easy to digest because of her and her teaching style. EMMA: We love great professors. Can you share a memorable moment from any of those professors from any of their classes or perhaps a lesson that you learned from them? TEREANA: Okay. I'll go with Professor Fuertes because I do a lot of things catered to the international community, especially people that are migrants and have immigrated here is that I remember he showed us a film of, I believe it was like Mr. Smiley or Mr. Nickle, something like that, where it showcased a refugee family and their experience with settlement, with employment, with naturalization and the funding for that. And it was also like a family that dealt with Catholic charities, which is where I had taken my apprenticeship for about like three years. And just to see like how difficult, how dangerous, how anxiety inducing, there are unfair parts that they had to be with another family. And that had a lot of stressors on its own. Their cars would be broken into. But there was this guy that was always smiling. His kids would be exposed to drugs and like violence in the streets because they couldn't afford to be in a well neighborhood. And he just wanted us to take notes and make a paper about all of it and how it like encompassed what we learned in class. And I've never had my heart broken in such a way where like I was bawling my eyes out because it really forced me to recognize how privileged we are to be Americans, no matter the circumstances that we're in, because it can never compare to like the atrocities that people experience when they're forced to be here and still have to experience being treated and succumb to, and sometimes like degrade because they can be like lawyers, doctors, and their certifications won't be accepted here all the time. So they have to restart with their kids. And I just really appreciate like the lesson that taught me and him exposing us to that. CADIE: Yeah, for sure. And thank you for sharing that with us. It's a very important topic that needs a light shine on it. And, you know, the more... I think that it is so, so important to listen to the stories of displaced people, to listen to the stories of refugees or immigrants who are coming into America because they've needed to leave from a country that they do not see a future there. And I think that that is something that is really important to humanize them and to empathize with them because everybody should be humanized, right? But sometimes, unfortunately, we need to see them to truly build some sort of connection. Kind of going off of that, what is the best story that you have involving your major? And this can go, you know, more serious, but it can also be like a funny story or something that's more fun. But I did want to give like space for us to breathe, digest, because that is like very serious and very important for us to discuss as well. TEREANA: And you said, can you repeat your question? CADIE: Yes, of course it is: What is the best story you have involving your major? TEREANA: Involving my major, I would say Global Gateway. I believe that having that experience of studying abroad with a host family on top of that and being away from your family for like six months. Like I've never been away from my family like that. Traveling alone and then traveling to other countries outside of that because it's very cheap. Like I got a round trip to France for $30. CADIE: Dang. TEREANA: Yes, definitely do it. CADIE: I didn't get those prices. TEREANA: I did, try Skyscanner.net. CADIE: I did. TEREANA: Really? CADIE: To be fair, when I was going to France, I was going to Paris and I was flying on like one of the nicer airlines. TEREANA: No, I did, I think it's Ryanair is like their Spirit flight that we have, Spirit Airline. So there was like no AC, but it was worth it. And so, I'm so glad that Global Affairs allowed me to participate in that. We get a scholarship for it. I think I also, it was a little bit cheaper, like a couple grand cheaper to go abroad than stay here, which was wild. I met so many amazing people. I got to tutor kids there for English for a private family. And I think their dad was like a basketball player. And I was like, they had like maid and stuff. And I was like, wow! And so just like, although I don't want to say like, go out into the clubs, that like you can genuinely not do crazy things and still have a good time when you like go out with your friends and party. CADIE: Well, and also like the nightlife in Madrid- this has turned into a Madrid podcast. TEREANA: Yes! Oh, you even have the lisp. CADIE: I do, I do, I do. I have the Spanish lisp. My friends make fun of me for it all the time. And I'm like, I don't know. I don't care. This is where I learned Spanish. I'm going to have the lisp. TEREANA: Yes. CADIE: And the type of Spanish that my family speaks back home too is also Spain Spanish. So like my Lita, when I called her after being in Spain for a while, she's like, “Mija, you're talking like my dad. You have the same lisp.” TEREANA: Oh, that's so sweet. Yes, it's literally phenomenal. Like you said, the nightlife is freaking amazing. You can walk around two, three in the morning and not think you're going to get kidnapped. EMMA: That’s always a good thing. TEREANA: Yeah, it was like awesome. And I like that they have siesta time, where they take naps. Like, I hope America gets to adopt that. CADIE: I know. I told my host dad that I was going to go take a nap and he went, “Good. That's a real Spaniard thing to do.” TEREANA: So with tapas, everything like it's just so beautiful. And yes. CADIE: I miss Tinto de Verano, so much! TEREANA: Yes, please. No, I feel you. I just miss everything. I miss the park. I think was not the palace, but it was just like-. CADIE: Retiro. TEREANA: Yes, yes, yes. That I would just walk there at least like twice a week. And like there is like a pond where you can row your boat. And like the food is amazing and the architecture is gorgeous. The people are lovely and so sweet. I just really hope I can return one day. EMMA: Trying to figure out a segue. So it sounds like you went to a lot in Madrid. I want to hear about what you've gone to here in the GLOA department. So what's the best GLOA event you've been to? TEREANA: OK, the best GLOA event I've been to. I want to say the GLOA alumni panel. I really appreciated just seeing people after graduation, whether it's one year or whether it's been five years, just to see how they've progressed. Because like I want to ensure that I'll be successful in this major, because I know that when people go into majors that are super broad, they're like, oh, like you don't show any specialization or any skills. But I think it's the complete opposite. And so you have so much skill sets, and you learn so much. Like right now, the semester, half of my classes are AI courses. That like not only do you build those soft skills and professional skills, but you build those technical skills as well. And so seeing the people on the alumni panel talk about what they're doing now. I think one of them was an entrepreneur. Another person was working within the private sector. I think another individual, what was she doing? She was doing something awesome and fantastic. That I think those just like also help with connecting and networking with people in your field. And they can be mentors for you. And our alumni are so kind. Like I remember when I first came to George Mason, I reached out to someone that was doing what I wanted to do. And she was like, “Yes, let's grab coffee sometime. Let's like hang out. I can like show you the ropes.: And so I'm forever grateful of like George Mason alumni, especially in GLOA. CADIE: That's such a sweet story. And kind of going off of that, what connections have you made within the GLOA program? And this can be the alumni, it can also be students or professors, anybody who you've met through your major. TEREANA: I've definitely made a lot of connections with my classmates, which I believe is important. Like I said, with GLOA slash Government 400, he really like instilled in us to like form those bonds because we will need each other after this. And we also just like want to encourage and support one another. So I think I've made a lot of networking opportunities with my classmates within that department. I believe also I have made those relationships with my professors. I know that one of my professors, she was like so ready to give me a scholarship to go to Taiwan because she was like, I want you to like deepen your Mandarin skill so like you don't feel scared because I would be like, I'm scared in Mandarin when I was speaking. And she's like, no, like if you just insert yourself within the society that like it becomes way more easier because you're practicing and doing it every day. So I've definitely like made relationships with my professors, including Dr. Kim. Is there anyone else? I think also like I've just also formed a lot of relationships with people that are outside of my major, because you can talk to anyone about anything. I feel like when you're in Global Affairs, and we're like, oh my gosh, like I'm interested or I do that or I know how to do this. And I think it's really cool just to like diversify and make your networking not just solely in your major, but outside of it as well. Like if you want to have your doctor friend like tell you what's wrong with you and not pay like $300, like I think that's an advantage. EMMA: Well, it sounds like a lot of the connections you have in GLOA have been really meaningful. And I'm just curious that if you could tell them what is one resource you think every GLOA student should use? TEREANA: Please use your success coach. I know we have our academic advisors. I know we have the Writing Center, which is freaking amazing. They helped me get into the BAM program because they looked over my goal statement and helped me out with that. But I would definitely advise your success coach because like they're your cheerleader. Like if you want a cheerleader, get your success coach meetings in. And I believe like not only will they help you vocationally and just like give you more resources and connect you with like other people that you need for your major, or just like for yourself, because like we all need that support. But also just like reassuring you and being a sound board, which I always like because sometimes there's so many things going on in my head that like I just want to tell someone to ensure it makes sense and they tell me back and it's like more clear and I'm like, yeah, that's what I was saying. So yes, definitely use your success coach. EMMA: And with that, we are going to head into our bulletin board where we are going to have some CHSS announcements here from a GLOA advisor as our correspondent, as well as some resources to connect with to help you find success. CADIE: Don't skip this. This isn't an ad break. EMMA: This is the bulletin board. In every episode, this is where we will announce upcoming events and opportunities in CHSS, hear from correspondents, and give shout outs to the resources that make this podcast possible. ILONA: Hi, so my name is Professor Ilona Moore, and I'm a professor in the Global Affairs Department, and I'm the Undergraduate Director of Global Affairs. My email is imoor22@ gmu.edu, and the Global Affairs Department is located in Horizon Hall. We're on the sixth floor, but if you want an advising appointment, we do that on Zoom. We can do it in person, but we want to go through the degree audit with you and show you websites. So, it's actually probably easier to screen share than have you look at our little laptop screen in the office. So, I'll basically give you a summary of what a Global Affairs major is. So Global Affairs or GLOA, that's the course code that we go by, is a major that allows students kind of to take advantage of everything that Mason has to offer. That is, you take classes across campus in various departments and in various colleges. You take classes in three different colleges at least and in all sorts of departments. And so in each of these, you take their version of a global class, right? So this allows students to get a really diverse perspective on how to address global issues from every kind of angle, such as economics, conflict, right? Peace and conflict in the Carter School, culture, like global culture class, politics in the Schar School, the environment in the College of Science. And so you're taking, and then you take classes in CHSS, right? Like economics and culture. And so through this, you're kind of getting how does every department on campus approach global issues? And that's our GLOA core. And then after that, students choose a concentration. And in a concentration, students specialize in one specific area that they're most interested in. For example, some of our concentrations include international development, media communication and culture, global governance, human security, the environment, et cetera. And so students choose kind of something that they're most interested in. And then they take four classes of their choice, again, in a department across campus to fulfill this concentration. So, you know, maybe you're really interested in K-pop, you take a class in Korean studies, or maybe you're really interested in, I don't know, global business, and you take a class in the management college. And so this is kind of a choose your own adventure part of the major where you're specializing in something, and it can be really anything, but the global part of it, right? So if it's global climate change thing, you might take a class in environmental science or geography or something. Students can email us at GLOA, G-L-O-A at gmu.edu or they can reach out to me directly, imore, m-o-o-r-e, at 22 at gmu.edu. You can also go to our website, globalaffairs.gmu.edu, to find all of this information. And kind of anything else that students should know, I guess. Some students aren't familiar with our major and how useful it could be because it doesn't exist in high school, right? It's not like your government class or econ class from high school. And so we're actually kind of bringing all of these things together. And so sometimes our students come to us through a roundabout way, like, I don't know, they studied, they're going to major in convict, and they're going to major in global health, and then business. And then they find Global Affairs that really brings all of these other majors together for what they realize they really are interested in. And so through our major, you can kind of address any kinds of international issues, international themes, right, from human rights or refugees or K-pop or, like, all of these things are projects that students do their senior thesis on, right? And so you get to kind of tailor it to your own liking. And in addition to that, I'd say we also really encourage our students to study abroad. It's not required, but you can study abroad, you know, for a year and use those classes towards your concentration. You can go to our Mason Korea campus, where the two biggest majors are Global Affairs and Business, and take, you know, your GLOA core and your Mason core there. We also really encourage our students to do internships, and you can get college credit for your internship and apply it to your concentration. Or if you're a minor in Global Affairs, you can apply your internship to that as well. And so again, these things aren't required for the major, but they're all encouraged. We most often see students that know, say they want to work for the State Department or USAID or, you know, Voice of America or something like that. And it could be different roles. Like, one of our majors was running all the social media content for the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, right? Or something like that. So we get those kind of, like, students that want to do that and that know what they want to do, but a lot of students don't necessarily know what they want to do. And job titles might not, you know, things are changing so fast right now that in four years, nobody knows which, you know, which jobs will necessarily, what the employment market will look like. But we do know that if your job is a face-to-face job with another human, whether that's, like, a nurse putting IVs or doing diplomacy, that won't be taken by AI if you need a person-to-person. And so most of our jobs are person-to-person. So not everyone works necessarily internationally. A lot of our alumni worked at, you know, Voice of America, which closed and then got reopened, or worked at, you know, the U.S. Geological Survey if they were interested in the environment side, say, of climate change. But we also have a lot of students that work, just say, for Fairfax County government or the Virginia state government, right? Like, one of our students did an internship at the Virginia state, right, the Virginia state legislator, right, running their volunteers. And so there is the global at home. A lot of our students, we have, there's a group people may have heard of because Mason students volunteer. They're called NovaRamp that helps Afghan refugees and tutors children in English specifically. And so our students volunteer. That was set up by a GLOA major. And so our students volunteer at a lot of things around Northern Virginia that have a global focus as well, or work or set up NGOs on, like, refugee issues within Northern Virginia. It doesn't mean you have to, you know, like, move to Argentina or Japan or something, although some students want to. But yeah, there's the global is very much here in the DMV, too. Some of our students decide to do two concentrations instead of a minor because the concentration is 12 credits, and a minor is usually 15 or 18. The minor in Global Affairs is 15 credits. Some minors at Mason are 18. But so sometimes students just decide to do two concentrations like they're like, I'm going to do global governance and the environment or something, right? Because really, all environmental policy is law. So like those couple well or something, you know. CADIE: Welcome back. We are now in Act Two. And these questions are going to get a little bit deeper. Nothing too scary, nothing too scary, but kind of just reflecting on your experiences within GLOA. And to start out, not even an experience within GLOA, but why did you choose to go into Global Affairs? TEREANA: I believe I wanted to choose.... I went into Global Affairs because I wanted something that didn't keep me in a box. I'm very like, I don't think outside the box, but I like to do things outside the box. And then I realized, oh, that's a little out there. But I think Global Affairs in particular, out of all the majors I could choose from, because I believe we have like over 120, is that I believe like it ensured that it would broaden my mind because I came from a very closed-minded area. And so I wanted to expound it. I wanted to dilute my ignorance. And I also wanted to make change on an international and worldwide scale. And I believe Global Affairs like promised and has done that for me. CADIE: Yeah, no, that sounds great. And kind of to go further into it, what was that experience of specifically choosing Global Affairs to say, yes, this is what I want to study? What was that like for you? TEREANA: I believe I would just compare it to what other schools had to offer. And I think it was not only like the description you see when you go online, and you're like Global Affairs for George Mason, but also just what the people did in their careers that it was something I was interested in, whether it was private or public sector, whether it was not only working in the government, but teaching or doing something abroad or doing some nonprofit work that all of those things fascinated me. And I think when I saw just the description and matched it to what I saw with the alumni that I think it confirmed that was what I wanted to do in my life. EMMA: Yeah. So you've actually already started kind of answering the next question of why did you choose GLOA here at Mason over another school? TEREANA: I believe because also this area, this is the most and this is also another reason why I just picked George Mason as a whole, is that it's the most diverse institution. Like we literally are called a PDI because I grew up in PWI, which means predominantly white institutions. So, I'm with the minority. But since this is a PDI, that means that there's so many different people that it's not just one race. It's like everybody here, like New York is like my little New York inside of Virginia, where I could pay in-state instead of out-of-state. So I think it was convenient because it was in-state, it was very diverse, which is what I wanted. And also I'm so close location-wise to the government, to the people that formulate the country, and like what we do and influence it. And so also the campus is beautiful. So I think those components were the reasons why I was like, yes, Global Affairs, specifically George Mason. CADIE: Yeah, I know like that diversity element was definitely a factor for me too, because I've lived in a minority-majority state all my life, but we got the one minority. I'm from New Mexico, right? So like everybody that you know is Hispanic in one way, shape or form. TEREANA: That's so cool. CADIE: And because of that, like yes, I grew up in a very like ethnically accepting place, but it wasn't very ethnically diverse. So like coming here, it was so cool to get to meet and talk and like grow these connections with people from all different areas or like where their heritage is from all over the world or even like international students, because GMU has a very big international student population. So yeah, that was like definitely one of the things that drew me to Mason as well. So I'm on the same wavelength. TEREANA: I love that. I'm so happy about that. CADIE: So our next question for you is, have you done research internships or clubs tied to Global Affairs? I know you had mentioned you had done an internship a little bit earlier. TEREANA: I can talk about my internship experience all day. So firstly, can I talk about like more than one? CADIE: Mmm-hmm! TEREANA: Okay, cool. So I was a teacher assistant for AVID. AVID, I wish I could say the acronym because I think it's Advanced Development. Oh wait, Advanced Virginia Individual Development, something like that. Yeah, I would encourage you to look it up. But I was able to work with them to help students in middle school and high school, specifically Catherine Johnson Middle School and Fairfax High School. CADIE: I found it. TEREANA: Yes. CADIE: So AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. TEREANA: Oooo fancy! Yes, they were super cool and just allowed me to take the bus to go like to work and interact with the students and motivate them, teach them the scholastic skills they needed, and also tell them a little bit about George Mason. And I did that for a semester before I was a private tutor in Madrid, Spain, when I studied abroad. But my internship-internship was at Catholic Charities Diocese of Arlington. I was in the Manassas branch, and I was within the Virginia Refugee Student Achievement Project Program. And I also worked with mentor youth in Virginia. And so within the VRSAP, which is like the acronym for the department I worked for, I was a school liaison intern. And so I would give orientation to families that would recently just come here. And I would tell them about the laws and just what to expect when their children go to school, even to the transportation, how they get to school. We would give them materials. We would set up medical appointments. We would have events for them. We would ensure if they had any tutorings and try to match them with that. For my VA, mentor youth in Virginia, that we also would look up scholarships and part-time or full-time job opportunities, colleges that accepted them based on the residency that they had. And it was just such a fulfilling job. Even though there was a lot of paperwork and documentation that you had to put in, and sometimes you would have to hear some things, see some things that weren't pleasant, that it was a joyful experience just to see people's eyes light up when we would go on field trips or when we would have cute events to make sure the kids met each other and were learning something. I know a couple things that really impacted me while doing these internships, outside of just simply helping them and making sure I could be a part of making their lives a little bit easier, a little bit better, is that I was able to create a partnership with MAPS clinics we have here on campus. And so, oh my gosh, and so sorry about that, is that with that partnership with MAPS clinics that we were able to set up appointments for the kids so that they could get enrolled and registered within school for uninsured families. So they were able to get their appointments, their shots, their immunizations, and their physicals all for free. So I was just so happy that I was able to be a part of that. On top of, in my VA, I was able to help someone that I was mentoring for like one to two years get enrolled and registered within a community college because higher education, like sometimes they have to restart, and they have to like test out of a lot of things in order to get that education and the skill sets they need vocationally. So not only are they helping themselves, but helping their families. And so when I met him, he was striving to get his GED because I think he may also have been too old to go into high school. So, he got his GED while we were together, and that was freaking amazing. I was so proud of him. And then on top of that, we were like, okay, let's check out NoVa. And I was able to go to appointments with him and he was able to use the grants he had to go to school at the pace he wanted while also doing engineering work, which is what he was passionate about. And also taking him here to George Mason, and just like, you can transfer here. There's probably like funding that you can get being part of this. And so I would do it all over again. And I'm really grateful that I had that opportunity. EMMA: That does sound like a really wonderful opportunity, and how incredible that you've gotten to make such an impact on so many individuals and families. Furthering the previous question, what is the most valuable non-classroom experience you've had as a glow-up major here at GMU? I will clarify that this can be a job, a club, an internship, research, etc. TERANA: Okay, are there any other research questions or not? EMMA: There's, yeah, there's one later on. CADIE: There's like one more. TEREANA: One more that's like specifically about research? CADIE: Yeah, but this, this, whatever your answer is, it can play into that question. TEREANA: Okay, I'll save my research answer for the research question. CADIE: You should say the research for this one because this is asking about future research. TEREANA: Oh, okay. Future, like what future research I want to do? CADUE: Yeah. TEREANA: Oh, future research I want to do. CADIE: But this one is about what research have you done? If that's, if that's like your most valuable experience here within GLOA, talk about it. TEREANA: Okay, so, um, so I've talked, I told you all about the geothermal energy that I got to take to the State Department of Energy and give them just all the statistics and knowledge that we had on why it would be beneficial for our country and others. I also talked about the first-gen college student mental health research I did as well with my classmates in that six-credit class that was three hours twice a week and online. Oh my gosh, Lord have mercy. If you take classes online and they're three hours, like drink loads of coffee and find something to doodle with or something, because you're going to want to fall asleep no matter the time of the day. But what I'm really passionate about, and it's also tied into just being a Bonner leader or Bonner alumni, I guess, is the multicultural anti-bullying workshop that I actually just came from doing today as well. I will tell you all about it. So essentially, what had happened while I was working at Catholic Charities that one of my clients, he informed me that one of the children, he was getting bullied and he wasn't just getting bullied verbally, he was getting bullied physically to the point where he didn't even want to go to school. So we were trying to do everything we could, talk to the principals, encourage him to talk to the police, talk to the teachers, talk to the students, and he was still experiencing hardship. And so they ended up going to a whole different county because of that. And that's terrible because they've already sacrificed enough and just because he comes from a different place, has an accent, and is just not someone that is familiar to them doesn't mean they should treat him in a horrible and terrifying way. And so that inspired me to do a research project where I do quantitative and qualitative study in middle schools because he was in middle school. And I think bullying can be the worst in middle school because everyone's bodies are changing and they're just like very immature. And so I'm a Global Affairs major so that's where the multiculturalism comes into play where I really wanted kids to build that cultural competency skills and have that respect and the knowledge, awareness, kindness, and tolerance for other people that had different backgrounds than them and how to de-escalate situations. I quiz them on their comprehension skills, I had them apply it within skits, and I just made sure that I educated them on like, hey there's so many different people that exist in this world and the least we can do is just like be kind and sweet towards them and be more understanding. So I go to middle school specifically in Loudoun County and do those workshops and I always like to change it up depending on the month. So like last month was Hispanic Heritage Month so we had more of a concentration in like Hispanic culture. This month is Native American Month. I even did some on April Fool's Day because different countries celebrate April Fool's Days differently. So yeah, I just really love doing that workshop with kids. CADIE: That sounds so cool. So that's where we've talked about things that you've done. Now I want to talk about what's ahead of you and what are your current career goals involving Global Affairs? TEREANA: Yes. Guys, I have dreams and I'm going to tell you those dreams. There's like four main things I want to do. Okay, so the first one is I want to work in the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau within the State Department or the Department of Education, whichever one is like operating. And so, I know that's going to be hard while I'm waiting for things to open up. And so, I want to work in that. I want to be a professor and teach other college students about Global Affairs, globalization, how it impacts us, how it impacts social media, how it's literally in everything. I also want to do an AI startup where I have it as an educational platform for developing countries so that they can learn technical skills and not only just be limited to like what's around them, but that they can like use that advantage to like continue to have like money flowing in and have some type of like financial freedom or like ability to help their families and have their needs met while also just like opening up their minds to like new and evolving technology that's always happening around us. And lastly, I want to interview people from all over the world and document that and show like we're all the same, but also the beauty and like the differences that we have as well. CADIE: Yes, I love that so much. EMMA: And I was gonna say maybe you could start your own podcast. TEREANA: Yes, I would love that. I've tried it like my sophomore year and it was like cute, but like then I just got like so overwhelmed with work. CADIE: We get it. TEREANA: I was like, “I'm gonna take a break.” Y'all are doing amazing. EMMA: Oh, thank you. We love having you. CADIE: Thank you. So, kind of on the note of that last little point that you made of interviewing people, what research would you like to contribute to the field? TEREANA: Not only just like the multiculturalism anti-bullying workshop, I also just want to contribute to the field, maybe potentially like I guess like the intersectionality of like governments and how I've been intrigued by individualistic societies and collectivist societies, and like what does government play a part in that, and how is it apart from that? So just not only the intersections, but also just like the dissimilarities of that, because that also includes my concentration. And I hope that something like that, I know there's organizational and ethics law and public administration. So maybe like it can tie in with even my master's. EMMA: You've been in the GLOA major now for four years. I'm sure you've been exposed to some common misconceptions about the major. What are those common misconceptions that people have about Global Affairs? TEREANA: I know a lot of people are like, and I think I've said a couple times, what's the difference between that Global Affairs and government and international relations? And I think it's we do not deal just with a western perspective because I believe with government and international relations, you're doing everything for the benefit and strictly for America. While like Global Affairs, you're able to see these different perspectives and not like have this agenda behind like what you're doing simply just for one type of people or nationality, but more broader and encompassing others as well. EMMA: What has been your most fruitful experience in the Global Affairs program? I think GLOA people are so sweet, and I think that like we have so many like dualities and functionalities of what we can do being in such like a worldwide encompassing major, and we're exposed to so much. And so I think that like being in relation with other GLOA people has really helped me in just building relations with people that are not like me, may not be in my field or just different from me. And I think that has been really rewarding because I believe like in order to love people, you should understand them. And I think that like with being blessed with figuring out how to understand people and best to work with them and be there for them and work for them has been extremely fruitful and I'm full of gratitude for that. CADIE: Yeah, and for our final question of the interview, we like to give all our guests the exact same final question, and that is what advice would you give to any freshmen who are majoring or minoring in the GLOA department right now? TEREANA: Nice. Okay, so I would definitely recommend them going outside. Like go outside and join as many clubs as you can if you have it in your schedule because you might add too much and then you're like how did I get so involved? But I just recommend people connecting with those different clubs. Go to the Get Connected Fair and you'll meet people. You'll meet people in your profession. You'll learn new things. You'll be able to build your leadership skills. You'll be able to be in those leadership positions and you'll learn how to facilitate and manage and take whatever is hurdled at you. So, I definitely recommend just get into those clubs and find their community. Find their people. I know I found mine at ANC Every Nation on Campus which is global. They try to instill a branch in every country that exists in the entire world, and I think they're in like 90 plus countries. So then that wherever you go, you can find people that have similar interests in you and have a family or a home from home or outside of home. So yeah, get plugged in. EMMA: That's a very sweet sentiment and very well said. So thank you Tereana for joining us. Is there anything that you would like to shout out or promote? I know you're graduating this semester. Where can listeners find you on social media or in your post-grad life? TEREANA: Nice. So shout out firstly to Emma Howard and... CADIE: Cadie. TEREANA: Cadie! Yes, my Spanish twin, my Spanish sister. Shout out to you guys because y'all did an amazing job in interviewing me. This is my first time doing this. So shout out to you guys. If you want to find me, you can find me on Instagram. I am an Instagram girly pop. It is T-E-R-E dot W-B-U. You can also find me on LinkedIn. Connect with me and we can like share our ventures of the world with each other. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know if I'm going to the non-profit sector or working within the schools in Northern Virginia or being an administrative assistant. Who knows right now, but I do know that it's going to work out, and I can't wait to bring people along with me and fulfill my four dreams that I have. EMMA: And we can't wait to see you do that, Tereana. TEREANA: I want to shout out to Patriot Leaders, our new student family program. EMMA: Well, listeners, thank you so much for listening to this episode of CHSS Connection. CADIE: Hey, thank you for listening to this episode of CHSS Connection. This podcast is hosted and written by Emma Howard and Cadie Junker. Our audio engineer is Dennis Gabitov. Our supervisor is Eleana Velasco. This podcast is produced by George Mason University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Undergraduate Academic Affairs. Special thanks to the Mason Innovation Exchange for their recording studio. The podcast could not happen without them. This project was developed in collaboration with Career Services and the On-Campus Internship Program. If you love the show and want to interact with more of our content, follow us on Instagram @CHSSPod or check out the CHSS website, where there is an ongoing library of our episodes. You can also be a potential guest on our podcast. EMMA: If you enjoyed the show and would like to express your support, there are a few things you can do. You can leave a review wherever you are listening to this podcast. You can help by word of mouth, either by telling someone directly who might be interested in the show or posting about it on social media, tagging at CHSSPod. All these things help support the show, and we appreciate anyone who has done it or will do so in the future. Again, thank you for tuning in to this episode. We hope you will tune into the next episode where we are joined by Eva Trump to discuss working for the government and how to get a job in the field you want. But until then, stay curious, CADIE: Stay creative, BOTH: and stay connected!