Christina Roca ’21

I originally came to PC undeclared, not knowing what I wanted to study. I was introduced to the major by taking Global Studies 101 my freshman fall; I was intrigued by the discussions occurring in class, the material we were reading, and delving into global issues through multiple lenses. As an avid learner, I came into college already invested in issues in the world today whether it concerned the environment, poverty, globalization, inequality, etc. I found myself using my 101 class as an outlet to talk about these topics in relation to the course material.

I decided to declare a Global Studies major around the midterm period my freshman year. I enjoyed class discussion and using my writing assignments to process my thoughts and look at topics with a critical and interdisciplinary approach. Being passionate about community involvement and social justice across borders, I found that the Global Studies major would allow me to explore other dimensions of topics historically, socially, economically, politically, and culturally. 

I think the GST major is unique because you are able to shape your academic experience in areas you are interested in. There are required courses which discuss broad systemic themes addressing globalization, but there are many electives that allow students to truly follow a certain theme they are passionate about or delve into an issue they want to know more about, conduct research on it, and develop more a profound understanding on those topics. Moreover, it has been quite interesting to hear my peers talk about their studies in comparison with mine; many of the times they’re quite different topics but have very similar themes, which lead to meaningful discussions. My concentration in my Global Studies major is immigration, which for me as a daughter of immigrants, I never knew I would have the opportunity to study a topic so important to me but had also been treated like a taboo for the majority of my childhood. My life was quite literally transformed after participating the Global Service Learning course, Global Border Crossings with the one-week trip to Tijuana. After taking a few courses surrounding the topic of immigration, my understanding of its complexities expanded exponentially within just two semesters. This all contributed to my decision to study abroad in Rabat, Morocco after being introduced to immigration issues occurring along the Mediterranean and Strait of Gibraltar in Global Border Crossings. I decided to study abroad in Morocco through SIT’s Migration and Transnational Identity program Fall 2019, where my understanding of immigration patterns expanded to another region in the world. It led me to conducting an independent study where I took my knowledge and information from my classes about immigration from PC to my new understanding from Rabat. Little did I know my passions for advocacy and social justice, especially surroundings topics of migration would be the foundations of my Global Studies career at Providence. 

I have a second major in Sociology; and I find the pairing to fit really well together. I’d say both majors have heavily contributed to how I look at the world and how systems and society function. There’s even some Sociology courses that cross-list with Global Studies. In both majors, I spend time looking at similar issues or topics, but it is interesting to bring in different approaches when reflecting whether it be critically analyzing a claim sociologically or looking at a topic through a more contemporary lens from evidence from my Global Studies classes.

As of right now, I undecided as to what career paths I want to pursue or what I’d like to do with my degrees. I know I am quite open to going to graduate school to get my Master’s in Public Affairs or Public Policy, or returning to Morocco to conduct research, or working at a non-profit in my communities for immigrant advocacy. I’m eager to see where my future will take me.

Some advice I would give to those considering Global Studies is definitely follow your interests. Your academic path through this major can be transformative in so many different ways to view the world and world systems. The way you think about subjects you thought you knew about, will completely change within a semester. This major will allow you to get out what you put into it. Push yourself into difficult conversations and challenge yourself to new ways of thinking. Being open-mindedness and empathy are important, but so is being critical, passionate, and bold.