Last week I sat down with THE Anna Tegge to talk about her recent Study Abroad experience in Spain, her involvement in the Model UN, and the extensive list of things that makes her an incredible person. Last year I actually took over her room when I returned from Denver and she left for Spain (shoutout to Swanson 226!) Then, this year, we have our LC together. I’ve gotten to know Anna a great deal in these past couple of months and she is such a genuine, kind and beautiful person, inside AND out.
Name: Anna Tegge
Year: Senior
Hometown: Geneva, IL
Major(s)/Minor(s): International Business and Political Science Major, Spanish Minor
Campus involvement: Augustana Women’s Soccer, Augustana Symphonic Orchestra, work in Admissions Office (Chicagoland recruitment team), Opportunity Kicks (refugee tutoring), member of Model UN club
So, tell me about Opportunity Kicks and your interest in refugee tutoring…
It was a little bit of a surprise, coming to the Quad Cities, I didn’t know that there was such a large refugee population here. It was something I discovered when I got here (I didn’t know that about the QC). The organization is actually a combined tutoring and soccer organization. I had some pretty good female soccer player mentors who were part of the program. The program works with refugee kids during the week to bring up their academic skills and then on the weekend, oftentimes, Augie soccer players coach them or help them at their games. They’ve found that soccer is a way to connect to lots of these kids because soccer’s familiar to them, from all the places that they come from. So soccer was sort of the bridge that helped me get involved with them in the first place. Then I really fell in love with the kids so I decided to do it every year after that.
I also hear you’re interested in going into a career involving refugee law?
I am in the process of applying for law school, taking the LSAT this December. I am really interested in immigration law. This summer I worked for a legal non-profit and we worked a lot with immigrant cases and how immigration law overlaps with family law and employment law. I found it really interesting and really empowering. I’m not fully decided on what specialization in law, but it’s something I would definitely be interested in.
AND you’re a part of Model UN… Tell me about that.
Last year was the first year I was part of this organization. Model UN as a club is a club that basically simulates what happens at the real UN. We attended a conference last year and every school that attends the conference is assigned a country and assigned a position in the UN; you can be in the general assembly or you can be on international court of justice. So last year, we went to Chicago and stayed for four days and Augustana represented the country of Ecuador. It was really cool. We got to meet lots of kids from all over the world who come to this conference. I’m still in touch with some of the people today.
Okay… I have to hear about your experience in Spain!!!
My experience was a little bit different from a typical Augustana Study Abroad. Instead of studying for a ten-week trimester, I de-enrolled at Augustana, and re-enrolled in a semester program abroad. So basically, I dropped out of Augustana, enrolled at a Spanish University for five months, then reapplied to Augustana for my senior year. Which was kind of different in the sense that I did not go with any Augustana students and I didn’t go with any professors I knew. It was a lot of independence to be in a university without knowing anybody or being proficient in the language. I studied in Seville, Spain for five months, but in those five months I was able to travel a lot throughout Europe, make new friends, meet new professors and experience a culture very intimately.
What’s one thing you miss about Spain?
I was really, really close with my host family. My host mom was very motherly and very sweet, and she had six kids. I grew really, really close to her and the family. I miss their encouragement and their support and their laughing with me when I made really embarrassing language mistakes. I also kind of miss the lifestyle there. They’re very much focused on life first, work second. In the U.S., it’s very admirable that we’re so driven, but it’s also so beautiful in Spain that you take a step back and make sure that you’re living for yourself before money.
What’s your favorite saying that your parents told you or instilled in you?
My mom gave me this pencil case and it says, “Work hard, stay humble, be kind” and I think that was something that both my parents have always emphasized in my life. They both lead by example in that “work hard, stay humble, be kind” can get you as far as you want in life.
Do you have a spirit animal?
Maybe a koi fish? They are really curious.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
When I was in Spain, we had snails. I didn’t know they were snails when I was eating them–I didn’t know the Spanish word for snails… But, pretty strange. They had the ink in them.
Do you have a pet peeve?
Close-minded people; people who aren’t willing to hear the other side, that only think about one opinion.
Favorite ice cream?
When I got to Augustana, everyone recommended Whitey’s and they were saying that you have to go to Whitey’s, it’s one of the gems of the Quad Cities. And so I made a goal to try every flavor before I graduated. So now, I’m pretty deep into some of the strange flavors but my favorite flavor has always been Graham Central Station, which is actually the first ice cream I tried.
If you could add one person to Mt. Rushmore, who would it be?
I would add Woodrow Wilson to Mt. Rushmore because, it’s sticking to president theme, but also, he was kind of the founder of the idea of the United Nations, which is a concept that I really value. He would probably fit up there really well with the other guys already there.
If you could pack up and travel right now and go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I would definitely go back to Spain, but if I didn’t go to Spain, I’ve always wanted to go to Greece, so that’s next on my list!