Testimonials on the European Studies Certificate: Sabrina Lima - Dana Mekler

Student testimonials on the European Studies Certificate

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Sabrina Lima

Bachelor in International Relations - Minor in Geography Certificate in European Studies Spring 2012

My name is Sabrina Lima and I graduated in May of 2012 with a Bachelor in International Relations, a minor in Geography and a Certificate in European Studies. The Certificate in European Studies has enabled me to understand the many challenges Europe faced and still faces nowadays. The most stimulating facet of the Certificate to me was that you basically pick your area of concentration. If your interests are related to literature you can focus your studies there, if you rather study the political structure of European societies you can concentrate on that. You have various alternatives and you pick what best suits your personal interests. The opportunities brought forth by the Certificate are not limited to academics; I had the chance to do an internship with the European Studies Department, and the Miami-Florida European Union Center of Excellence, in which I gained a lot of experience in event coordination and also networking with the various distinguished visitors who came to give lectures at FIU. Some of them include Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, Head of the European Union Delegation to the US; Honorable Lech Walesa, a co-founder of the Solidarity movement in Poland; and many more. Hence, I recommend for any student to enroll in the Certificate in European Studies with the assurance that this certification will benefit you academically as well help you grow as a person by establishing a sense of understanding between various cultures.

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Dana Mekler

Bachelor in International Relations with Honors - Minor in Economics Certificate in Environmental Studies Certificate in European Studies Spring 2012

My name is Dana Mekler, and I recently graduated from FIU with a BA in International Relations and a minor in Economics. I joined the European Studies Certificate program shortly after declaring my major. As a Spanish citizen with a French Baccalaureate and college experience both in the French and Spanish educational systems, I highly recommend the program to anyone interested in broadening their knowledge of European culture. The program academic requirements are very flexible, they allowed me to supplement the International Relations courses with European area studies, and they can adapt to virtually any major. The European Colloquium, taught by Dr. Rebecca Friedman, is mandatory to obtain the certificate and was one of the best and most comprehensive courses I have taken at FIU. The course was enhanced with lectures by visiting professor Ambassador Martin Palous, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the United Nations and taught at the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami Beach. On top of that, the conferences hosted by the Miami-Florida European Union Center of Excellence are a great complement to the academic component. As an intern at the center for the 2010-2011 academic year, I had the opportunity to share my passion for movies as coordinator of the biweekly European Film Series. I also acquired valuable experience coordinating events to host European diplomats, visiting professors and public figures such as Hon. Kevin McGurgan, HM British Consul General in Miami; Dr. Emek M. Ucarer, Associate Professor of International Relations and Chair of the Department of International Relations at Bucknell University or the Honorable Lech Walesa, Former President of Poland and Nobel Laureate.