I am Jayvy, a Global UGRAD student from the Philippines studying Economics at The University of Texas at Austin this spring 2016. I chose Speech in American Culture as my U.S. Studies course because I am interested to learn more about how American ideals and rhetoric shaped the United States and its relationship with other nations. As a consistent member of the Scout Movement, I am also taking the Juvenile Justice course, because of my deep appreciation for youth formation and how my organization can appropriately reach out to marginalized youth sectors such as juveniles. Also, I am preparing myself to write my thesis as I go back to Ateneo de Manila University by taking a class on Econometrics (Research Methodology) and attending an Undergraduate Research Conference in Dallas, Texas in April.
I maximize my time in the USA by traveling and joining community events. I was amazed to visit the Texas State Capitol and the Texas Memorial Museum, which houses a collection of dinosaur fossils. Also, I volunteered as a Teaching Assistant for the Citizenship in the World merit badge during the Merit Badge University for scouts of Texas, where I was able to share about the Filipino culture and Scouting in the Philippines.
I know that I am halfway through the semester, but better things are always ahead of me! I look forward to visiting Washington, DC for my End of Program Workshop and finally see the White House! Who knows what other surprises might be waiting for me?