Class of 2020 Part II
SUSIE FARIA
Hometown: Beverly, Massachusetts Senior Thesis Title: “Local Organizations and Fishing Litter: Recreational Fishing in the Northern Rivers Region, NSW, Australia”
My journey with Global came full circle in New Zealand. I spent six months there as part of my two gap years, during which I solo traveled for the first time. It was there that I discovered my desire to still attend a four-year school, just not have to do it in a single location. Five years later, I was able to return to that country as part of Global and see it with an entirely new set of eyes — eyes that had been shaped by the people I have been surrounded with and by the experiences we’ve had together. Growing up in small town Massachusetts, I was rarely presented with anyone who could legitimately challenge my worldview. This was in part due to my own stubbornness, but also due to the limited types of people I was exposed to as a kid. Since entering Global, that’s just about all that I’ve done. This is because of my professors and classes of course, but, more importantly, it’s also come from my friends in this program. I have never been a part of something that is simultaneously so supportive and so challenging as this group of amazing people. I have had friends I’ve known for my entire life that have never come close to hitting this perfect balance of support and challenge. I have been asked to question things I didn’t even think needed to be questioned; I have been presented information that I was not always ready to hear. To be able to unpack and discuss those things with people who are understanding and kind, but also fierce and admirable, has been incredible. I may not know what comes next, but I couldn’t have had a better experience with a better group of people had I planned it.
NORA GIBBONS
Hometown: New York and Montana Senior Thesis Title: “Conflict Resolution at Wicklow Sudbury School”
The most important thing I have learned from Global is how to be in community. How to find a home within myself and the people around me. It has been the greatest gift to have such an unconditionally loving, beautiful, creative, curious community of classmates to learn from and grow with, to practice how to communicate, and collaborate, and reflect, how to agree and disagree, how to engage in conflict, and apologize and forgive. Returning to you all always feels like coming home.
ROWSHAYN GREEN
Hometown: New York City, New York Senior Thesis Title: “The Impacts of Voluntourism on ‘Developing Countries’ and the Volunteer”
“I have the deepest affection for intellectual conversations. The ability to just sit and talk. About love, about life, about anything, about everything. To sit under the moon with all the time in the world, the full-speed train that is our lives slowing to a crawl. Bound by no obligations, barred by no human limitations. To speak without regret or fear of consequence. To talk for hours and about what’s really important in life.” — Author Unknown
JESSE HERBERT
Hometown: Captree Island, New York Senior Thesis Title: “Building Allyship with Men to End Sexual Violence and Harassment Against Women: Challenging Harmful Masculinities”
Throughout these past few years, I have found my voice, my strength, and my passion. I have found an unstoppable fire within my body, sparked from hardship and pain, that will continue to grow and allow me to create the change that I feel so strongly about. This fire began in Costa Rica and seemed almost untamable, fueled by anger and the need for justice. At the time, I had no idea that a year later, in Florence, I would be creatively exploring body positivity and female empowerment. A short time after that, in Australia, I would be learning how to channel that same fire to have productive conversations that focus on individual change. And I had absolutely no idea that when it came time to choose my IRIS (International Research and Internship Semester) research topic, I would focus on engaging men as allies to end sexual violence and harassment against women. Had I known any of that at the time, I would have told myself to take a deep breath and that the path ahead of me would be long, but that it would take me to exactly where I am supposed to be. When I first found out about LIU Global from a brochure I received in the mail, I would have never imagined the events that would take place over the four years. I began this adventure with an open mind and heart, eager to explore and see the world. I end this adventure eternally grateful for every experience I’ve had, every person I’ve met, and every lesson I’ve learned.
OSMAN HERNANDEZ
Hometown: Queens, New York
Only boring people are bored. I’ve repeated that to myself countless times over the last four years. And you know what? Thanks to those around me, I’ve never been bored. I want to record some moments from different places, so that in ten years, I can look back and remember all the special times. I want to remember these little moments and the impact they had on me because at the end of the day, none of us were ever alone. In this support system, all we had to do was reach out, and someone would be there. The Costa Rica year where all the MISadventures began. From some falling into the ditches at night to my first food fight with cake at the Global Center, every day brought something new. I remember falling in love with farms and the hands-on work it required . . . Thanksgiving . . . Remember the greenery, the small towns, the beaches and boat rides, especially the one in Bocas del Toro, when the sun was shining, and all I saw was endless water in front of me and the water droplets hitting me in the face, as I looked around, thinking that I was surrounded by people who care about me. I remember the stars in Panama. Remember how inadequate I felt in the library, working hours on end to now, finally graduating! Remember to “Make haste slowly.” Remember in Sarajevo having the best miso soup I’ve ever had in the most unexpected place — I still dream about it sometimes. The steak in Italy, that was well out of my means. (Still fire, no regrets.) Remember all the peaceful moments, sitting on plazas or grass and lying around with our heads in each others’ stomachs. Remember haggling in Morocco, the people who thought I spoke Arabic. The old grandma, Bocci, the last night we all danced together. In China, remember Liu Wei’s dinners, the street-food noodles and how we always saw people we knew after a night out. My Mandarin classmates. Peking duck (and the injustice that happened). Remember the mayhem and delight of the snowball fight at the end of the semester. In Australia, remember chilling around the pool in the sunshine, bike riding everywhere, cooking delicious home meals, all the movie nights. Natural high class. The outback trip, pulled kangaroo tail. Remember fighting for what I deserved, and being able to do my IRIS ((International Research and Internship Semester) in Chicago. When there I did not expect to fall in love with symphonies and in-person classical music as much as I did. That taught me that you don’t know what you want until you have a taste of it, so taste everything! Something I’m sure you remember is your attempts of love and lust. Where you start to learn that you have to love yourself and truly understand what that means before you try to love another person as a whole entity. Going back to New York City was the wake-up call, and I’ve learned how to know when I’ve become stagnant. It’s okay and good to enjoy the moment — but it’s important to recognize when a moment becomes a lifestyle. There are countless moments and I’m sure you won’t be able to remember all of them them, but remember this: There is always an adventure — you just have to look for it.
SARAH HESTERMAN
Hometown: Washington, D.C. Senior Thesis Title: “Sexual Violence and Harassment Against Women in Politics: A Comparative and Global Analysis of Threats, Experiences, and Solutions”
As I reflect on my four life-changing years with LIU Global, the memories play out in my head like an old family film: grainy and full of nostalgia, showing joys being had, challenges being faced, and lessons being learned. My journey began in Costa Rica and then Panama, where I trekked through jungles, hiked up volcanoes, and had heart-to-hearts with new friends on endless stretches of coastline. During my year in Europe, I explored the ins and outs of Germany’s and England’s capital cities by foot, learned about the politics of immigration, religion, and culture in Spain, and stayed with a wonderful host family in a Moroccan medina. I deepened my understanding of national and international institutions while in Hungary and Austria, took in as much art and gelato as I could in Italy, and learned about the power of healing after conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In my third year, I found myself in Fiji, where I was introduced to actions that local communities are taking to preserve their beautiful and important ecosystems. In Australia and New Zealand, I had the honor of learning from change-makers about their work fighting for indigenous rights and environmental sustainability, and in Bali, I cultivated skills to address local manifestations of global issues. During my IRIS (International Research and Internship) semester in Austria, I interned with an organization that empowers women to prevent violent extremism globally, and for my New York capstone semester, I interned with an organization that mobilizes women to become civically engaged across the country. Through it all, I have undergone the kind of immeasurable growth that only Global can catalyze. To my professors and mentors, thank you. Words will never do justice to the magnitude and breadth of all I have learned from you. And finally, thank you to the beautiful humans with whom I have shared these four incredible, whirlwind years with. We danced until the sun rose, traversed miles of cities, beaches, deserts, and forests together, and made new friends in every corner of the world. We laughed, we cried, and we grew as one family. You have all made this journey better than I ever thought it could be, and I will carry you in my heart for as long as I live.
