Marisol Gutiérrez is majoring in Political Science with a minor in Spanish Literature and plans a career in Immigration Law. At UCSD she worked on the bilingual newspaper “Voz Fronteriza” and performed with the Aztec Dance Group. This year Marisol is enrolled at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City, getting used to a different teaching style (“mostly one-on-one learning and debate with the professors”) while taking classes like Government and Public Issues and The Sociology of Indigenous Cultures in Mexico. She is trying to join UNAM’s soccer team and starting to practice Aztec dance. Besides travel to various destinations in Mexico, Marisol is enjoying life in a metropolis. “One of the things I have come to love about the city are the abundant small coffee shops and bookstores, not to mention the museums and foreign films. My book collection has started to grow, and I have no idea how I’m going to take them back to the States.” In accepting her scholarship, Marisol wrote: “As I prepare to study abroad, I carry with me the comfort of knowing that there are people like you who care about enriching a student’s experiences during college.”
Andrea Martinez-Calvillo (Mexico, 1999-00)
Andrea Martinez-Calvillo is studying Latin American Literature and Dance at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, with plans to become a teacher. She is learning to speak Nahuatl and to sew her costume for the Ballet Folklorico by hand. After graduation, she plans to continue her studies of Latin American Literature and History at the University of Costa Rica. Volunteer work at a secondary school will prepare her for entry into the teaching profession. “I am very excited about this study abroad experience and hope to learn and grow from this travel opportunity as much as I did from my stay in Mexico.”