Graciela Blandon is a Gallatin student pursuing a concentration entitled “Cultural Development and Class Struggle.” Graciela was one of twelve NYU students awarded the Gallatin Global Fellowship in Human Rights for the 2020-21 academic year. In summer 2021, Graciela interned with the Association for Human Rights of Andalusia (APDHA) in Cadiz, Spain, an organization whose objective is to defend Human Rights in Andalusia and support the victims of human rights violations. In fall 2021, Graciela studied away at NYU Paris for the semester. We met with Graciela to learn more about her global experiences with NYU.
Aricel: What motivated you to choose to work with the Association for Human Rights of Andalusia?
Graciela: As an El Pasoan interested in border scholarship, I knew I wanted to pursue this fellowship in the context of a border region. As a Spanish speaker, it made sense to look towards the Spanish Southern border – La Frontera Sur. What I found out about the region’s politics fascinated me; the Spanish Southern border’s migratory dynamics bore an uncanny similarity to El Paso’s. The Andalusian Association for Human Rights, especially the Cadiz delegation, was essentially the Spanish counterpart to the frontline organizations I had been working with all my life in El Paso. So I naturally gravitated toward their work.
AB: How did this fellowship experience influence your academic and/or career plans?
GB: Prior to this summer, I had not considered broadening the scope of possibilities available to me career-wise past the United States. During my time with APDHA, I laid down roots in Spain and established meaningful connections with people and places. Now, I can really see myself localizing my postgraduate studies abroad. Applications for graduate school in Madrid are surely in my future, for example!
AB: I know you then decided to study at NYU Paris. During your time there, what opportunities did you have to be involved with the local community and make connections?
GB: It’s easy to get stuck in an NYU bubble, but our residence at Cite Universitaire – Paris’s residential campus for international students – and our proximity to Parisian universities like the Sorbonne offered me lots of opportunities to immerse myself in the city beyond NYU. Personally, I involved myself in various performing arts opportunities. I made friends at the salsa lessons I enrolled in, where I got to practice my dancing and my French. I also met lots of musicians at jazz venues I frequented and even got to sing with French jazz ensembles a few times!
AB: Overall, what is the most interesting or significant thing that you learned from your study away experience?
Academically, I’ve learned a lot but personally, I’ve learned even more. I learned to quickly adapt to new places, advocate for myself in a new city, and take the initiative to step out of my comfort zone. All in all, I learned that I was capable of much more than I thought I was.
GB: Do you have any advice for other students interested in studying away?
Make sure you’re living in a sustainable way. Studying abroad can be as dreamy and glamorous as it is inconvenient and monotonous. It’s very easy to get burnt out by living in such a high-stakes, fast-paced environment. Make sure you keep sight of the things that feed you physically and spiritually. For me, this looked like taking stock of my relationships and personal development, learning to take the bad with the good, and leading with gratitude above all else. Find what works for you!