When I took a job at the European Union Center of California, the last place I expected it would take me was a one-on-one conversation in the Motley Coffeehouse with EU agriculture expert Sarah Lambert.
During my first semester at Scripps College, I worked at the Center writing for its newsletter and drafting briefings on countries and current crises. The more time I spent there, however, the more opportunity I was presented; participating in the West Coast Model EU at the University of Washington; attending the School of Transitional Justice in Croatia; and lunching with Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.
Lambert came to campus in April as part of the Center’s annual Undergraduate Research Conference. A fellow appointed by the Commission, she spoke passionately about food politics and how they differ between Europe and the United States. And then this expert sat with me like a peer, explaining agricultural policies and gentrified food trends and just talking about being a woman in today’s workforce.
Politics are, by their nature, mercurial and ever-shifting. Thanks to the Center, I’ve learned more about the international community in a way I’d never think possible. I’ve researched the plight of Ukraine, learned about Lithuania’s government, and gained a greater understanding about the European Union’s economic and social positions. I have a new insight into where I might study abroad, and my appreciation of culture, language, and how a region’s past informs its present is ever-increasing.
I am not able to speak to the experience of freshmen at other colleges or universities, but I thank Scripps College and the Center for a truly unique first-year experience. Never did I think I would be interacting with high-profile policymakers, casually chatting with EU fellows over coffee about the merits of feminism, or shaking hands with presidents. I understand what a rare chance this is for students at any college or university, and I’m thrilled the Center has a home at Scripps and that I took the plunge to be a part of it all.
With my first year providing me with so much opportunity, there is nothing else but to look forward to whatever else comes my way.