Check out this week’s Campus Celeb: Michael Picard! Michael fills us in on his CISLA summer internship abroad in Tel Aviv and his post-graduation plans as well as his celebrity crush and ideal date!
Class Year: 2015
Hometown: Geneva, Switzerland
Major/Minor: Anthropology – International Relations double major
Extracurricular activities: Practicing neutrality
Relationship status: Single – can’t cage this free bird
Celeb Crush: That Cem kid
Describe your ideal date:
A candlelit Harris dinner followed by hand-holding and formal dancing at the Crozier Williams Ball Room (nothing too raunchy, of course)
Favorite class or professor at Conn:
Professor Graesch and any class he offers. Even if you ain’t Anthro – take one! You won’t regret it. I can’t say enough good things about that guy.
Favorite place on campus:
Mamacoke Island (to the uninformed: Yes! we have an island)
Spirit animal:
Either a cow or Randy “the Macho King” Savage
Favorite cuisine:
Harris’ culinary delights. Nacho-cheeseburger casserole monstrosity, anyone? My stomach says no, but my heart says yes.
Favorite item in your closet:
I kidnapped a friend’s fur-coat, and I’m reluctant to give it back.
How did you get involved in CISLA?
I applied, got accepted, did the class, got the money, spent it, had fun. Now I’m indebted.
Tell us about your internship abroad experience!
It was honestly amazing – I interned for two civil society organizations in Tel Aviv that put me right at the heart of Israel’s biggest social issues. The work was engaging, and the city is the best. I think everyone should put the politics aside for a bit and experience Tel Aviv – imagine the New York bustle, a Californian climate, a Miami beachfront, and the best food in the world all in one place!
What was it like being in Israel during the conflict?
The physical experience was that we would come under rocket attack at least once a day. For each attack we would scramble to a shelter and wait for the explosions, so it was very tense. But the scramble to the shelters has a social effect. War brings the worst out of everyone – everyone on every side. But if you see through the emotions and the rhetoric surrounding the danger, you see that people behave fundamentally differently during wartime. Everyone becomes equal, people band together, and social differences evaporate as people share in the experience and the trauma. For example, at a funeral for a soldier killed in Gaza, an American who came to Israel, 30,000 people showed up to honor him. It was a heart-wrenching moment as everyone tried to share his parents’ pain. So I’m glad I experienced the war for myself because the media misses something fundamental about it, something that goes beyond narratives: that war is tragic, this war was a tragic war, and everyone suffers.
As a graduating Senior, what advice would you give to underclassmen?
Enjoy the hell out of that friggin library when it’s complete
What are your post-graduation plans, if any?
In Switzerland we have compulsory military service for all men, so Swiss military it is! I got placed as a recon scout for an alpine armored battalion (tanks, mountains, etc.) so that should be interesting. For those of you wondering: yes, we do get issued Swiss Army knives.
How do you feel about being Campus Celebrity?
I can’t stop blushing, it’s basically a sunburn