I'm Elizabeth, 20-years-old and a junior at UNC double majoring in journalism with a concentration in reporting and global studies with a concentration in international politics in Latin America. Oh and I also have a Hispanic Studies minor. That's a mouthful, but I'm not what I would consider an overachiever — I'm just burgeoning with a variety of passions.
I was born in Durham, NC, but have considered Raleigh my hometown since the age of three. With my return to Chapel Hill for college (I was also baptized here back in the day), I can successfully call the entirety of the Triangle my home.
So how did the journalism start? I pinpoint the 7th grade as the year when I started having serious considerations about writing, all thanks to a successful poetry project and my father's encouragement. Once in high school, I joined our newspaper and became editor my senior year, however, it wasn't a huge production by any means--just a way to get my feet wet. Generally speaking, I find that I'm very drawn towards writing as my favorite method of expression. I am intrigued by storytelling and I love to encapsulate a person through the power of words.
Last spring, I spent the semester in Sevilla, Spain, honing my Spanish, exploring Europe, and keeping schoolwork a very low priority. My semester abroad has only made me crave travel even more and I can't wait for the next opportunity to go abroad. I love learning about people and their stories (hence the journalism) and I've found that my travel experiences have yielded some of the most wonderful ones yet.
Here at UNC, I've been writing for Diversions with the DTH for my third year. I've immersed myself in the local music scene and keep finding out so much about the talent that surrounds the Triangle. It's been a fantastic experience, and although I don't necessarily want to make music journalism a career, I would consider it something I plan to dabble in for a while.
As a journalism and global studies double major and a Spanish minor, I'm working on figuring out how to combine all of these academic pursuits into a suitable career. When people ask me what I want to do, the best answer I have now is “something with international journalism.”
Whether that be for a journalism publication or a communication department at an NGO, I do know that I want to be abroad and I want to be involved in people's lives. But ideally, I won't launch into a career immediately post-undergrad. I'm leaning towards joining the Peace Corps or a similar organization, or maybe teaching English abroad for a few years. Also, I am still not sure if I want to go to graduate school, and I don't really want to talk about it.
