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[Interviewer] Welcome to the University of North Georgia Political Science & International Affairs YouTube channel. Victoria is an International Affairs major, minoring in both Public Administration & Public Service, as well as Spanish. She has the distinct honor of recently being named the inaugural recipient of our Department's Dr. Barry Friedman scholarship in Political Science & International Affairs.

 

We caught up with Victoria shortly after she was formally awarded the scholarship, to chat and get her reaction.

 

Hi, Victoria.

 

[Victoria] Hi. How are you?

 

[Interviewer] Good. How about you?

 

[Victoria] I'm doing well, thank you.

 

[Interviewer] Okay. So, first question is, how do you feel about receiving this scholarship? What does it mean to you?

 

[Victoria] Ya so -- it was a tremendous honor to receive this. I didn't realize I was the first recipient of this, which is like a huge honor to me because I'm like, oh my gosh, that's amazing. So I was really excited, especially after having met Dr. Barry and the faculty and staff behind this amazing scholarship fund. It was just amazing to get to know them and have conversations with them and everything and see what great role models they all are to the students in the department of Poli Sci.

 

I think because it was a specifically a Poli Sci award is especially special to me because it was  very personable and just very important to me that like all of my hard work had paid off in the department and then all of the professors who have come around to support me and just encourage me along my journey has been such a huge help and I owe my success to them. So it was a huge honor.

 

[Interviewer] Before we get into any more like particulars, just tell us about yourself, kind of your personal background, academic, all of that.

 

[Victoria] Ok. So as you know, I'm a senior right now. I started off with International Affairs, major with a concentration in Europe, and I've stuck with that throughout my four years at ºìÁ«ÉçÇø. I really fell in love with the subject mostly of like, Poli Sci was something I had to get used to a little bit because I initially just like wanted to do history when I was first like graduating from high school. I graduated from Covenant Academy in Macon.

 

History has always been like my favorite subject, and I recently started to get more into Poli Sci. Just like really interested in current events and whatnot, and so when I started taking more of my Poli Sci classes, I was like, this is actually so interesting, especially the element of international affairs and just current events from around the world really piqued my interest. I was able to take classes, especially in my European concentration, allowed me to take classes with history from all over Europe as well as how that relates to, um, our American foreign policy and everything. Certainly, very interesting topic.

 

I decided to add my Spanish minor after I came back from a mission trip to Ecuador. I was there for about a month. I really just fell in love with the language. I really wanted to learn to speak with the people that I was out there helping and everything. Even here, I just have met so many amazing people that I would like to be able to speak with. So I decided to declare my minor in Spanish, and then I was able to go on a study abroad trip this past summer to Spain where I'm hoping to return through some amazing miracle. I'd love to go back to Spain and hopefully become an English Teaching Assistant through Fulbright.

 

So after that, my most recent addition to my academic career has been the Public Administration and Public Service Minor. It was recently introduced to me by Dr. Armstrong Williams, Dr. Kelly, Dr. Viman-Miller. They all encouraged me to go ahead and try this new minor that the school is just creating, and I have loved the classes, loved all the professors, of course, that have guided me to taking it.

 

That's like another aspect of the school that I really, really like is that they're always pushing you to go further and show you new things to try, introducing new things to your academic career and everything to make you the best candidate for a job possible after graduation.

 

[Interviewer] For sure; perfect. So this is kind of going back to your time at Covenant Academy and high school, but before coming to ºìÁ«ÉçÇø, like what got you interested in International Affairs, and then what made you want to pick ºìÁ«ÉçÇø for that?

 

[Victoria] Okay, so International Affairs, like I said, I always had an interest in history, anything like that. I think the idea of International Affairs kind of came whenever I first heard about certain jobs, like with the State Department. For instance, the Foreign Service Officer or US Agency for International Development, which is currently what I'm kind of tracking towards in this moment.

 

I think the idea of international development is very, is super interesting to me. For one, it's piqued my interest. My internship, I really enjoy just working out in the field and everything like that. So I think like just traveling and learning about new cultures has always been super interesting to me as well. So that's kind of where it all started was just, even in high school, just having an interest in that.

 

I picked ºìÁ«ÉçÇø because I did hear that they have a very strong Poli Sci Department to begin with. I grew up, this is kind of irrelevant, but I did, I grew up near a military base; my whole family is in  the military, and I just like the idea of, you know, being surrounded by that culture here of discipline and patriotism, so, you know, I love that element of it as well.

And so, yeah, I would have to say like I chose ºìÁ«ÉçÇø, other than for the more, you know, aesthetic parts of it. Like the mountains, I love the small town of Dahlonega and I just heard really good things about the school from other people who have attended.

 

[Interviewer] So you're finishing up your International Affairs degree soon. In addition, you've tacked on these two minors. How has your academic schedule been the past couple of years?

 

[Victoria] Okay. So I will say that to start with the academic schedule question. It has been super busy. It's not something that anybody couldn't handle, if you really put your mind to it. I definitely know a lot of my professors have challenged me over the years in my classes, which is something I was looking forward to school anyways. I didn't want to be able to fly through everything and not learn as much as I have by being pushed. Definitely a lot of, a lot of reading, I would say.

 

I think our major, as we all know, is very heavy on reading, on research and everything, which I think is super helpful and applicable to real world skills, writing especially I would say. I've written a lot of essays in my time here.

 

But I think that the support that my professors have given me along the way has made like crazy academic schedule doable. I've taken classes throughout the summer to kind of ease the burden of like what a full semester would look like or adding onto that so I could complete my two minors, and then also a few dual enrollment classes, AP classes from high school have helped me bolster that along the way.

 

Yeah, I would say it has been a lot of work, but definitely worth it in the end. Like, I definitely feel like a much more well-rounded person because of the extra minors I picked up. Like I said, the Public Administration and Public Service minor wasn't really on my mind. I mean, it didn't exist before this year, but I would have never thought to do something like that until taking Dr. Kelly's Public Administration class and then Dr. Gershtenson's Public Policy class. And I just felt like the relevance of these classes to our everyday lives as Americans, and like the knowledge that I gained from those classes is really important for just to know the democratic processes that make our country so great, and then the relevant policies that are actually affecting our day to day lives, and to be able to one day, you know, make my own or you know what I'm saying.

 

Like just know what's going on. So I think that is really important. I'm really excited to see where that will take me in my future career.

 

And then, as well as the Spanish minor as you know, it's just I will say the Spanish Department also, I have to give a shout out to them as well, has been super impactful in my career so far. They're the reason I really stuck with it. I wanted to keep taking more and more. I'm taking a few Spanish classes next semester just for my electives. Just for fun, so they've definitely really spurred my love of learning the language.

 

I think that's another thing is that like my professors have enabled me to enjoy learning rather than make it feel like busy work or something that I don't necessarily look forward to doing. I really appreciate the way they've revolutionized how learning is and making it more interesting and engaging.

 

[Interviewer] What experience from the Department has been most meaningful to you in your academic career, as well as life in general? And then off of that, which one do you anticipate being the most meaningful as you start your career?

 

[Victoria] I'll have to say my class with Dr. Armstrong Williams, probably that we were both in a couple semesters ago. It was actually two of them, International Political Economy combined with International Relations Theory. And those were some of the most challenging courses  that I have ever taken, and might ever take in my future.

 

But throughout that, it really taught me how to make myself a more competitive candidate for the,  through the process of globalization. Now we're competing against people from all over the world for these jobs. And I think that just like the ability to market myself, to push myself to make myself a better candidate, as long as just kind of coming along my fellow peers and kind of helping each other. I know we had a lot of study group sessions and everything like that to make it through those classes. So I will say those were probably the most impactful I would say, especially the one-on-one that I got to have with Dr. Armstrong Williams, as well as like my other academic advisors and really any of my professors in the Poli Sci Department. I will say those one-on-ones, talking about specifically my future, and like which decisions are best to make now in order to make me, you know, a stronger candidate in the future definitely helped.

 

I think the information that we learned in those classes was super, super helpful as well. You know, we learned history and then like the reason for all of these things going on today, from a historical context to economic context, just everything. I think that made me the best, most well-rounded student out of all my experiences here. I know that's like a really broad answer, but that's just two classes.

 

[Interviewer] I would have said the same thing. They were like some of the most informative classes, and academically.

 

[Victoria] Yeah. Absolutely.

 

[Interviewer] Okay, and just in closing, do you have anything you want to say or advice you have for any, like prospective students, current ones or even former ones?

 

[Victoria] Yes. I would say -- keep going. I know it's hard, but it's definitely worth reaching out to all your professors and advisors. I found that it might be a little intimidating at first to go up to a professor and ask them questions, but I've learned over the years not to be intimidated because they're so there to help you. They're so willing to set up part time in their busy schedules to  make sure you get to the place that you need to be, whether it be in academics or even, I know Dr. Lin, Dr. Hightower, have helped me so much in like outside scholarships and different Fulbright grants and everything like that. Both in your academic career and outside of that. As far as any other aspirations you may have, definitely approach them with your questions. Tell them where you want to go and they're going to help you get there.

 

I would say just be bold and determined, you know what I'm saying? Keep on, keep on reaching out; keep on asking questions.

 

[Interviewer] Okay. Thank you so much, Victoria, for your time. Congratulations again on your award.

 

[Victoria] Thank you.

 

[Interviewer] We wish you the best in the remainder of your career with ºìÁ«ÉçÇø.

 

[Victoria] Thank you so much.