Brianna Angulo is a student at UCSD majoring in Political Science-International Relations and minoring in human rights migration and is studying at Sciences Po in Paris, France for the 2022-23 academic school year. She will graduate from UCSD in June 2023 and plans on attending graduate school to learn more about international relations and immigration policy. Brianna writes, “As a young Latina born and raised in Downey, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles, it is crucial for me to fully immerse myself in my culture and learn more about my family’s journey immigrating from Mexico to the United States. Listening to my grandparents’ immigration stories motivates me to aid fellow immigrants and seek justice for them.” She wants to do further research to understand the immigrant experience and address the current humanitarian crisis. She believes her year abroad in Paris will help her study the importance of political participation, gain a deeper understanding of global issues, and experience cultural immersion. Brianna reports that her classes are very exciting and what has struck her most “is the passion and ambition of the students. It is very motivating and pushes me to do my best.”
Shellsea de Leon (France, 2021-22)
Shellsea de Leon is a Political Science major at UCSD studying abroad at Sciences Po in Paris, France. She has been studying French since her first year of high school and has loved every second of it. Shellsea is the first in her family to go to college and she wishes to make her academic career the best it can be to make her family proud. After graduation, Shellsea hopes to pursue a law degree and work as a lawyer or in a government agency like the Environmental Protection Agency. She writes, “In my class on climate change it has been very insightful to have conversations on the Paris Accord, but also on COP26 and how countries determine who is the most responsible for carbon emissions and pollution.” In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, hiking, or singing with her dad. While in France, she aims to fully immerse herself in the culture and its people and practice her French in order to become fluent. Shellsea writes that her comprehension of the French language has increased significantly. “I remember when I first came to France and I was absolutely confused as to what everything meant, even though I had years of learning the language. I think, however, thanks to my engagement and pursuit of taking French classes, it gave me an amazing opportunity to get more involved in the culture.”
Minna Luu (France, 2019-20)
Minna Luu is a UCD International Relations major studying at Sciences Po in Paris, France. Minna is Vietnamese and grew up surrounded by her native culture in San Jose, CA, which has the highest population of Vietnamese people outside of Saigon. As a junior in high school, Minna was lucky enough to be able to live in Cannes as a foreign exchange student for two weeks. While those two weeks flew by quickly, the kindness from her host family and the amount of knowledge she gained was irreplaceable. She was also briefly able to visit Paris and fell in love with it; so much so that she promised herself that someday she would go back. Aside from school, Minna is a baking enthusiast and has been dubbed a “foodie” by many of her friends who know her passion for cooking and eating. She is also a fan of cinema, museums, and enjoys playing her violin from time to time. By the end of her year abroad, she hopes to come back more confident in her French and to have gained a more nuanced understanding of the French-Vietnamese culture she comes from. She writes of her initial experience abroad: "Surprisingly, even though it's only been two months, I feel quite comfortable in Paris and a little more like a local each day. I was even able to give a person directions in French about which metro line to take."
Jennifer Rivas (France, 2016-17)
Jennifer Rivas, a Communication major with a minor in Environmental Science, is studying at the University of Lyon in Lyon, France. She grew up bilingual in Los Angeles and French is her third language. At UCSD, she has worked as a project developer for the university, teaching students and staff how to live in an eco-friendly manner through interactive games and activities. She has also performed as part of UCSD Dancesport, the School’s competitive Latin-ballroom dance team. In Lyon, she hopes to get involved at local food banks and farmer’s markets to engage with the French population and understand how everyday interactions affect sustainable food choices. She plans to pursue a career in environmental policy after finishing her degree at UCSD. She writes that the French university system is quite different from California, highlighted by different lecture styles and greater individual responsibility for students. She writes that “a lot of students are politically active and aware, and I think they hold their education system to a high standard.” Jennifer particularly enjoyed a trip to Beaujolais, the well-known wine region outside of Lyon. She was introduced to a French couple who walked her through the long history of the land and their unique bread and wine making processes.
Jessica Pham (France, 2013-14)
Jessica Pham, a Political Science major, is studying at L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques (“Sciences Po”) in Paris, France. Her parents are Vietnamese but this is her first extended time spent overseas. Jessica is fascinated by the study of politics because “the political world encompasses both individual preference and experience, both exterior influences and interior motives.” She strives to find the intersection of the academic world of grades, deadlines and knowledge, and the real world of culture, politics, religion and personal experience. Outside of her academic pursuits, she loves to experiment with various baking recipes, attend concerts, and spend time with her golden retriever Luke Skywalker. She is living with a host family in Paris during her first semester, which has done wonders for her conversational French. Jessica hopes “to eventually pursue a career in social justice law, international business, or in the non-profit sector.” She has “always been passionate about the welfare of others” and hopes to utilize her time in France as a foundation for a possible career path abroad.
Stephen Dailing (France, 2012-13)
Stephen Dailing is a Political Science and International Studies major also studying at L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris, France. He was drawn to Sciences Po by the yearlong program, which would allow him to fully immerse himself in the French culture, and by the institution’s dedication to the study of social and political sciences. He was originally attracted to this area of study while participating in Model UN and student government. Stephen hopes to become a diplomat either with the United Nations or for the US State Department. He writes that he loves “the mix of cultures and ideas combined with the practical interests of negotiating….it is a puzzle that constantly shifts in seemingly unpredictable ways due a variety of objective and subjective standards: political, cultural, personal, or simply good or bad luck.” He enjoyed his classes during his first term, and found that the professors expected “more original synthesis of ideas as opposed to regurgitation of facts and concepts” and that the argument style “is a complete inversion from the Anglo-Saxon Style.”
Allie Vogel (France, 2012-13)
Alexandra (Allie) Vogel, an Economic Sociology and Business Marketing major, is studying at L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques (“Sciences Po”) in Paris, France. She grew up in Southern California, is fluent in French and enjoys traveling, design, painting and yoga. She is a student affiliate for The Center for Research on Gender in the Professions and is working on a research project titled “The Sport of Beauty – Investigating the Lure and Economics of Beauty Pageants” which examines the cultural and economic aspects of beauty pageants and how well they meet their stated goals of promoting educated, self-confident women. During her first term, one of her classes shot a documentary about a café in Belleville called Aux Folies. Allie writes that “People in Paris really stay in their quartiers or neighborhoods, and Belleville epitomizes this with its’ unique feel.” Prior to beginning coursework in Paris, Allie was able to make a trip to Ireland, where she attended a “red head” festival. During the term she was able to travel to Grenoble and Bordeaux. She lives in the 11th arrondissement sharing an apartment with a French and a Brazilian student. Allie writes that it “is amazing just walking through Paris….especially at night and Sunday mornings when it is calm. It is like walking through a painting.”
Katerina Siefkas (France, 2011-12)
Katerina Siefkas, an International Studies- Political Science / Linguistics major, is studying at the University of Lyon in France. She learned about the Chris Borton Memorial Scholarship before she came to UCSD. While still in high school, she visited UC Davis Picnic Day where she met Verena who encouraged her to consider studying abroad and to apply for the scholarship if she chose UCSD. Katerina grew up in Novato, California and developed a love of languages at an early age. She started with French at the age of seven and has added Spanish and Mandarin Chinese since then. In her statement of purpose, Katerina wrote that fluency means much more to her than simply the ability to communicate with ease. During her year in Lyon, she hopes to achieve “an understanding of the applications of the language, of how they define and represent culture, as the quirks of a language are so integral to the culture’s shape and form.” She is living with two French roommates in an apartment in the center of Lyon, overlooking the Place Bellecour, and can walk to her classes. Outside of classes, she has already traveled to Wales, Oxford and London during her first half year abroad.
Kipp Trieu (France, 2008-09)
Kipp Trieu, a Communications major with minors in French Literature and Education Studies who wants to become a teacher, is studying at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (known as Sciences Po). He captured the spirit of the scholarship program when he wrote in his application that he desired to be an exchange student “both in the sense of being a student studying abroad and in the sense of being a well-educated, well-rounded student of the international arena.” Kipp is taking courses covering topics that include an introduction to a globalized attitude; the socio-political elements of decentralization and democracy; society and media; French opera as a political art form; and a French language course. He highlights that all of the courses are taught from the French perspective. In addition to his academic work, Kipp is an accomplished pianist and enjoys cooking, eating and photography. Ray and Verena were excited to be able to host him in Davis, including a trip to the Farmers Market, before he left for Paris. At Sciences Po, Kipp has been hired as an intern (vacataire) at the Center of the Americas, the office that handles incoming and outgoing exchange students to North and South America. In addition to gainful employment, his position as a “study abroad advisor” is allowing him to help coach French students wishing to go abroad. Kipp writes that, “Most French people, or those I’ve seen and met, don’t have pencil thin moustaches. Or eat frog legs every meal. Most of them, anyway. The point: the only way to know how something is is to see it for yourself.”
Nicola Hil (France 2007-08)
Nicola Hil wrote in her application that she has a “goal to have an international career and life.” We think she is well on her way: she was born in Britain, moved to California during childhood, lived in and volunteered for the International House at UC San Diego and is spending the current year studying Political Science at Institut d’Études Politiques (IEP) Lyon and Université Lumière Lyon 2 in France. Ray and Verena has a wonderful time meeting Nicola in August in her hometown of Livermore prior to her departure for France. She is acclimating to Lyon and writes that, “The area is beautiful with medieval churches and buildings and cobblestones along the streets.” She also reports that the independent research project she undertook the prior year at UC San Diego on the impact of French and European legislation on the rights of immigrant populations has provided a very relevant backdrop for her studies in Lyon. A musician, Nicola bought a trumpet (“a reliable English model”) and is looking for French students with whom to form a brass quintet. She has been able to travel to Telford, Strasbourg, Avignon, Grenoble, Cerdon and Geneva thus far and has plans to visit her grandparents in England over the holidays.
Mary Jo Velasco (France, 2002-03)
Mary Jo Velasco (2002-03, France) is studying European History and Music in Bordeaux. She was very pleased to have auditioned successfully into a prestigious amateur chorale that is performing three big concerts with works by Prokoviev, Mozart and Berlioz this year. In her initial intensive language program Mary Jo met students “from all over the world.” She found an apartment in downtown Bordeaux and had an opportunity to travel in Ireland.
Nicole Wu (France, 1999-00)
Nicole Wu studied Economics and French Literature and Theater at the University of Montpelier in France. Her goal is international career in business. Nicole finished her degree in Economics in June of 2000. Back in New York, she took a TV and film acting workshop. She continues dance classes and has added voice lessons. She traveled to Brazil in 2001. She is now working as an Operations Associate for Fixed Income Securities at AIG Trading in Greenwich, Connecticut. She also finds time for Brazilian Martial Arts and volleyball.