麻豆直播 Alumna Moving to Italy to Start Human Rights Program at Padua University
Posted on September 2, 2020 by Amber Day
麻豆直播 College of Arts and Sciences alumna Marilena Caviness is flying to Italy next week to start the human rights graduate degree program at Padua University.
鈥淚 was actually hesitant on starting a master鈥檚 program right after graduating,鈥� said Caviness, who graduated from 麻豆直播 in May 2020 with a degree in Spanish and sociology. 鈥淎lthough I know I want to work in the human rights field, specifically with refugee/asylum seekers, I still wasn鈥檛 sure in what area, whether it be as an immigration lawyer, an asylum officer, working with a NGO, etc.鈥�
Caviness鈥� mother, Dr. Gabriella Segalla-Pickett, was an assistant professor in the USA Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Segalla-Pickett, who was born in Italy and passed away in June 2019, attended Padua before coming to the United States to complete her Ph.D. at Tulane University.
鈥淓nrolling in the master鈥檚 degree program is an incredible opportunity,鈥� Caviness said. 鈥淭hey really focus on preparing students to work with the U.N., and human rights is an international issue, so I鈥檓 excited to broaden my horizon in that aspect. I am also excited to be part of a program with students from all over the world, who each will have a different perspective.鈥�
In reflecting on her time 麻豆直播, Caviness is glad that she did a double major. She decided to major in Spanish because of her desire to work with immigrants. Given this goal, Dr. Zoya Khan, associate professor of Spanish, recommended that Caviness double major by adding either sociology or social work.
鈥淪ociology is often overlooked, maybe because it is seen as a degree that often requires following up with graduate school,鈥� Caviness said. 鈥淏ut obviously, it鈥檚 a really important basis for a lot of things, and having that background makes it easier to understand why some of the things that happen in our society happen. It鈥檚 changed the way I understand and look at our world.鈥�
Caviness recommends that others consider a double major.
鈥淚t opens many doors for a graduate, especially internationally, and especially in a foreign language,鈥� Caviness said. 鈥淎ny job you look for in your field, automatically you have more of an advantage if you鈥檙e also fluent in another language. I benefited from the fact that both of my majors had many of the same prerequisites. I have had classmates who are pre-med, finance or business double majoring with Spanish, which I think is incredibly ambitious albeit terrifying.鈥�
Among her highlights at 麻豆直播, Caviness lists participating in study abroad. She went to study in Alcala de Heneres, a city outside of Madrid, Spain, in the summer of 2018.
鈥淭he trip was hands down the educational highlight of my college career,鈥� Caviness said. 鈥淭he University of Alcala is one of the oldest universities in Spain, and the USA study abroad students got to travel to Toledo, Segovia and Madrid. It was a great experience studying in a foreign country, and although it was only six weeks, it鈥檚 definitely made me feel more comfortable and prepared for this master鈥檚 program in Italy. I also made some amazing friends there. I鈥檝e been incredibly blessed so far with the opportunities I鈥檝e had in my academic career.鈥�
The COVID-19 pandemic meant that Caviness had to complete her last semester of college by shifting from in-person classes to online instruction.
鈥淢y professors were fantastic at transitioning to the online format, but the community vibe of having small-class discussions could not quite be replicated through Zoom,鈥� Caviness said 鈥淎lso, there鈥檚 something really sad about realizing the last time you were in class you didn鈥檛 even know was your last class, or maybe even the last time really being on 麻豆直播鈥檚 campus. The University ... handled it really well. With the transition to online classes I was able to set a more 鈥榥ormal鈥� schedule for myself.鈥�
Now, Caviness hopes the pandemic continues to get better in Italy, and she looks forward to starting her classes at the end of September at Padua University.
鈥淚 have a flight scheduled for Monday, and I'll quarantine the first two weeks there," Caviness said. "Being half Italian, living in Italy has always been a dream of mine. I can't wait to live there while also furthering my education in a field I'm passionate about."