找到她在世界上的位置
bet365亚洲官网 Graduate Excited to 探索 the World
尽管在小城镇长大, Natalie Miller always saw herself as someone who would explore the world. She plans on doing that once she graduates from the bet365亚洲官网 with a degree in 国际研究 in May 2022.
U of I Shows Global Possibilities to Small Town CLASS Graduate
当她以B毕业时.A. in 国际研究 this spring, Natalie Miller might look for a job overseas. 或者是美国.S. 国务院. Unless she chooses international law first.
Whatever her destination, she is excited about the possibilities. She credits her experiences at bet365亚洲官网 with helping her find the right path.
国际焦点在梅尔巴
Miller and her siblings grew up in small towns like Idaho City and Melba, 她2016年高中毕业的地方. 她在农村长大, she became interested in international culture by watching foreign films and documentaries on PBS, as well as reading everything she could get her hands on.
“I’ve always had a global vision when it comes to learning,” she said. “我想体验一切. My mom always wanted me to go farther academically than she was able to go. 这让我印象深刻."
高中毕业后, Miller attended BYU-Idaho for three years, studying agriculture and animal science before taking an international studies class and rediscovering her love of world culture. 她于2020年转学到伊利诺伊大学.
听，学，走
After arriving in 莫斯科, Miller got involved with the 马丁研究所 and was awarded three scholarships through the 程序 that assisted with expenses for a semester abroad in Costa Rica in 2021 and an upcoming trip to the 国家模拟联合国 会议将于2022年4月在纽约举行.
Natalie is endlessly curious but also listens better than most people. Not only is she eager to engage and collaborate but she wants to listen, learn, and then go do it. 比尔•史密斯, Director of 马丁研究所 and 国际研究 Program
“Natalie is endlessly curious but also listens better than most people,比尔·史密斯说, director of the 马丁研究所 and the 国际研究 Program. “Not only is she eager to engage and collaborate but she wants to listen, learn and then go do it.”
The Costa Rica experience was a highlight, as her decision to transfer was influenced by U of I’s strong 出国留学 程序. Even though she was excited for the trip, there were some setbacks to overcome.
The first was getting out of her comfort zone. She didn’t realize until it was time to go that she was anxious to travel internationally.
“我哭了，”她说. “我离开的那天就彻底崩溃了. It took me a while to get comfortable, but I ended up loving it there. 我现在自信多了.”
The second problem was speaking and understanding 西班牙语 – a subject she struggled with in the classroom. But she and her host family found a work-around.
“We’d play a game where I would point at something like the kitchen table and ask, ‘What is this?’用西班牙语，”她说. “They would tell me it was ‘mesa’ and then I would try and teach them to say ‘table.’”
模范学生
If Miller’s study abroad trip was the highlight of her collegiate experience, the National Model U.N. 旅行将是一个感叹号.
“I love analyzing the big picture when talking about international relations,” she said. “这太重要了. There isn’t an industry that doesn’t have a focus on international relations right now.”
In addition to taking part in scheduled events while in New York, Miller will also get to visit local embassies for Sri Lanka and Nepal, the two countries she will represent at the conference.
Miller’s decision to attend U of I gave her the opportunity to visit foreign countries and large cities that she only saw on television growing up in small towns. In preparing to leave 莫斯科 with her degree – and support network – she is ready to take on whatever the world has to offer.
本文由 大卫•杰克逊, University Communications and Marketing.
Photography by Melissa Hartley, bet365亚洲官网 Creative 服务.
出版于2022年4月.