MALAS Student Profile: Alice Donahue

October 28, 2015

Among the new master's students whom the LAII welcomed in fall 2015, Alice Donahue comes to the program with extensive international experiences which have broadened her understanding of the Latin American region.

Alice received her B.A. in English and Spanish with a minor in French from the State University of New York at Geneseo. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in three study abroad programs in Cusco, Peru; Dakar, Senegal; and Cadiz, Spain. Additionally, her mother is originally from France, where she travels frequently to visit family. "My experiences abroad definitely influenced my choice to pursue Latin American Studies, not only because I realized how much I loved traveling, exploring other cultures, learning foreign languages, and analyzing international social, cultural and political differences, but because I also realized that my interest in these three regions of the world (Africa, Europe and Latin America) could be drawn from and applied to the study of Latin America."

Alice chose to pursue her graduate degree at UNM because of its wonderful resources, faculty, geographic location, and scholarship assistance from the Latin American & Iberian Institute (LAII). "I didn't want to be too far removed from what I was studying, and I wanted to be in a place that had a rich Hispanic culture. I am also very excited about being able to live in the beautiful Southwest."

After completing her degree, Alice would love to spend some time working for human rights organizations and NGOs before possibly pursuing her PhD. As a graduate assistant (GA) at the LAII, Alice works in K-12 outreach, specifically updating and maintaining the Vamos a Leer blog, managing social media, and planning events. "I think this work will be the perfect opportunity for me to bridge my two concentrations, Literature and Human Rights, while engaging with the UNM and Albuquerque community." Outside of classes and her work as a GA, Alice enjoys organic farming, hiking, biking, swimming, cooking, photography, and art, all of which she hopes to explore further within the Albuquerque community.

To read other profiles, see the LAII's graduate student directory.