International Studies Student Profile
Marissa Mitchell
Columbus, Indiana
Ask Marissa Mitchell how she was able to study abroad four times, have a triple major, complete an internship, and still graduate in four years, and you get a smile. "I stayed busy, but by working with my advisor, I was able to develop a schedule that let me accomplish so much. Since my programs are related, some courses overlapped."
Marissa studied abroad at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England; in Grenada, Spain; South Korea; and Shanghai, China, where she also completed an internship. "My summer in Spain was an immersion experience, and I lived with a host family who only spoke Spanish. There is a difference between learning a language and having to use it all the time. I was able to go to South Korea as part of a research grant my professor received. The grant covered all expenses. The research group went to nine universities in South Korea and did a survey on attitudes about American politics and culture. Our next step is to compile the research and present our findings at conferences and our papers will be published on the Asian Network Web site."
Marissa's internship in Shanghai was with an international marketing company and her responsibilities were to translate a catalog into Spanish and research ecofriendly materials. "Devoting my time to researching ecofriendly products, I was able to see how much work is put into developing products for different markets. You have to be certain that the product will work in the target countries and that information is translated accurately. Knowing how much time was put into one product, I can only imagine how much more time is involved for different governments. While in Shanghai, I also lived with a host family, and only the son spoke any English. Yet, at the end of the experience, they told me 'now we have an American daughter.'"
