For some students, fall break is a time to head home, relax, and see family and friends, but for others, fall break is an opportunity to travel, do service, or conduct research. Myself and the other new media interns asked a few other seniors how they are planning on spending their week off.
Personally, I will be heading to Paris, France to do independent urban planning research. Through the generous funding of the Nanovic Institute of European Studies, I will be conducting a comparative study of public parks and neighborhoods in Paris to brainstorm architectural methods of improving communities in Paris’ periphery in particular. I hope to use this research to guide my thesis development next year.
Emily Shira (Senior, McGlinn Hall, Mechanical Engineering):
“I am co-leading a group going to Binns Counts Community Center in Virginia for the Appalachia Seminar through the Center for Social Concerns. I went on this seminar sophomore year, and the friends I made and experiences I had easily made a top 5 college moments. I'm going back to hopefully continue growing from this seminar, and to help other students find the light I did in the Appalachia region.”
Megan Moffit (Senior, McGlinn Hall, Political Science & Peace Studies):
“Hi! My name is Megan Moffitt, and I am a senior studying political science and peace studies at the wonderful University of Notre Dame. This fall break I am leaving our lovely campus to visit The Netherlands. I received a grant from the Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement to research the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The ICC is a controversial institution that has been facing increasing resistance from member countries, particularly African leaders who feel their region has been unduly targeted. I will be attending hearings of the current trial charging the former president of Côte d'Ivoire and analyzing how media coverage about the trial differs depending on the source's country of origin. Through this project, I hope to contribute my own academic research to the relatively new and rapidly developing field of international humanitarian law enforcement.”
Camille Meschia (Senior, Welsh Fam, Science Pre-professional and English):
“I'm going with my Welsh Fam squad to New Orleans. We are stopping by Nashville on the way down and Memphis on the way up! We wanted to do a last hurrah! And an All-American road trip seemed perfect. It'll be a fun bonding time and exploration of the US.”
Thomas Boyle (Senior, Carroll Hall, Architecture):
“I’m headed back home to Chicago for Fall Break. I am looking forward to seeing my family, my dog, and enjoying the city. Other than that, I am excited to meet up with some of my friends from back home before returning to South Bend Sunday.”