Name: Vannia Zelaya
Position: Programs Specialist
Office: Study Abroad
Degree: Master of Public Policy
I started off my interview asking staff Vannia Zelaya, whom I am lucky to call my sister, what she thought of CLU. Immediately she responded, “I really like the friendliness of the campus, everyone is always extremely nice and willing to help. I also enjoy how there are a lot of cultures/countries represented on campus.” I know that she has done quite a bit of traveling so she is an amazing source of information when thinking about studying abroad. I wanted to let the readers learn more about her and what she has done to get where she is today. “What is your educational background?” She said, “I completed my undergraduate degree at Loyola University New Orleans. What brought me to California was Pepperdine University where I pursued my masters degree in Public Policy.”
Following that I asked her to please let the readers know some of the places she visited as a student studying abroad during these years of study! She replied saying, “I studied abroad in DC during a fall semester and it was the best experience of my life. DC has everything! From museums to restaurants from every country, you can find anything and meet people from all over the world. Including Bo Obama, whom I got to meet at the White House. Following DC, I also studied abroad in Lille, France. I was there during the winter so it was incredibly gray – it even snowed for seven continuous hours one day, which I had never experienced before. I also learned that France had the best bread. You can get it at a bakery, from stands on the street, at the super market; it’s always amazing no matter where you buy it.”
I asked her some basic questions that merely scratch the surface of her traveling experience, to hopefully get some curious hearts ready to start their own journey.
Her Campus Cal Lutheran: Why should anyone travel?
Vannia Zelaya: It’s an opportunity to enjoy what the world has to offer, to learn about yourself and to learn about the world. It’s something you will never achieve if you stay where you’re from.
HC: Knowing you’ve traveled to DC, describe DC in three words!
VZ: energetic, creative and multicultural
HC: Knowing you’ve traveled to Lille, describe Lille in three words!
VZ: gray, historical and full of pastries
HC: What makes learning about other cultures intersting?
VZ: It makes you compare cultures to your own, and you learn things about your culture that you may not have noticed before. You can then use this to improve your life and the world around you.