Welcoming Our New Interns: Natalya Schoenwether
My name is Natalya, and I am an Education Abroad intern at AMIDEAST this semester. I am a junior at Furman University where I am majoring in Politics and International Affairs, with a minor in Middle Eastern Cultures and Islam Studies. I go to college in South Carolina, but my family is currently living in Alaska (it isn’t actually as cold there as you might think).
Growing up, my dad was in the Coast Guard, which meant that I was able to move around all over the United States. I think this is what instilled a love of travel in me - moving to a new address every other year will do that to you. Other than seeing a lot of America, I have also gotten the opportunity to visit Japan, Greece, Switzerland, Poland, and Romania. I love seeing new cultures and meeting new people.
Hiking a volcano on the island of Santorini in Greece. Photo Credit: Schoenwether, 2020.
Going into college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in. I bounced around a few classes my freshman year, first thinking I would focus on philosophy and then later settling on politics. I didn’t begin to consider studying Middle Eastern cultures until last year when I had the opportunity to study in Athens, Greece. While in Athens, I learned a lot about the relationship between Eastern Europe and the Middle East. In my junior year, I learned about the complicated relationship between the U.S. government and many of the countries in the Middle East. The more I learned, the more I saw that my government really did not understand the cultures or values of the Middle Eastern region.
Summertime in Alaska. Photo credit: Schoenwether, 2020.
After I graduate, I would like to get my Master’s in International Security Politics and join the Department of Defense. I also would like to spend some time in Azerbaijan learning the language and culture. My hope is that I will be able to bring a better understanding of and respect for the Middle East into my job in the government. Understanding is the key to empathy and respect, which should be the guiding factors leading American policy. My hope in interning at AMIDEAST is to gain a better understanding of and to create connections with the people studying in the Middle East. Politics often gives an insight into the themes that govern a society, but glosses over the individual’s perspective and experience.
