Growing up in the suburbs of Southern California, I felt college was my time to go out and explore what the rest of the world had to offer. I chose NYU and Global Liberal Studies largely because of the NYC location and extended global community. The change was incredible for me; I fell in love with the fast-paced way of life the moment I stepped foot in Manhattan.
GLS gave me significant opportunities in my studies and leadership undertakings, both in and out of New York. In my year abroad in Spain, I was able to take on two internships: Helsinki España and the Human Rights Association of Spain, volunteer with a homeless alleviation NGO: Bokatas, and travel to more than 10 different countries, drafting reports as a foreign correspondent journalist for Washington Square News and Reach the World forum. Most importantly, GLS provided me with the resources and guidance to launch my own magazine, The Global Express, which afforded me the President’s Service Award at NYU.
During senior year, I interned at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU Law School, and I dedicated my senior thesis to their Liberty and National Security department; investigating Brazil’s internet development plans following the 2013 global surveillance disclosures. After graduation, I began working in the research unit of Amnesty International USA. I like to think that with any job, project, club, or volunteer work I participate in, I leave my own personal contribution, my legacy.