Maria O’Connell
Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Latin America, Social Realities in Mexico
Introduction
Hey! My name is Maria, and I am from Beachlands, Auckland. I am currently a student studying at the University of Auckland. I am doing a Bachelor’s in Global Studies, majoring in Human Rights, Politics and Spanish. I also do a conjoint with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology and Criminology.
I applied for this amazing opportunity as it gives me a chance to see the world in a completely different sphere in terms of economy, society and culture. This programme not only aligns with my chosen degree (Human Rights, Spanish) but career aspirations, in which I want to save victims who have been human trafficked. With Latin America holding high human trafficking rates, it is important for me to understand their lifestyle in order to provide empathy for future clients.
I am looking forward to learning about their indigenous cultural practices and seeing how they perceive the world through a Latin American lens.
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Not A Goodbye; But See You Later
I’ve experienced way too many ‘lasts’ these past couple of weeks: last classes, last visits to my favorite neighborhood, last salsa clubs, last meals of al pastor tacos, and last memories with exchange students that I see as family. It has not been a walk in the park. Every goodbye is not easier than the…Continue…
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Welcoming The Dead To The World Of The Living
Días de los muertos , or Day of the Dead in English , is a well- known celebration in Mexico. The official days are the first and second of November , but festivities can begin weeks beforehand. The components of this celebration, such as the skull , is a symbol of Mexico. You are likely…Continue…
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Adventures Across the Agricultural Land
Exchange students are particularly lucky at Tec De Monterrey as every 5 weeks we have a ‘semana tec’. Semana tec (tec week in english) is similar to a mid semester break where no assignments are due. As Tec De Monterrey has 18 weeks in their semester, we get 3 weeks in total of semana tec….Continue…