Ciao a tutti! Hi, everyone! I’m Christy, a native of Norwalk, Iowa. As a high school student, I wanted to see the world, but I never knew how far my travels would take me. I went to college at Northwestern University, where I earned a Political Science and International Studies degree. A few years later, I got my master’s degree in International Education and Development at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.
I spent more than ten years living outside of the United States, calling England, France, Switzerland, Bangladesh, India, Guinea, and Senegal home at various points. Over the past fourteen years, I worked as a field instructor and an administrator for a company that brings groups of American high school and college students to immersive travel programs in West Africa and South Asia. This opportunity to experience the world in a deeply hands-on way and call these places my “home” contributed to my education as much, or more, than my formal studies and incited in me a deep appreciation for other perspectives and ways of life.
This year, I am undertaking research on migration in Italy with the support of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program funded by the U.S. government. I live in Catania, a seaside town on the island of Sicily in southern Italy. I chose this place because Sicily was and currently is a point of passage for people traveling in the Mediterranean for hundreds, or even thousands, of years, and in the present day serves as a landing place for many migrants coming into Europe from Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. I am curious to understand how migrants cultivate community, safety, and well-being in a new place. With this knowledge, I hope to contribute to public policies that facilitate smoother and kinder transitions for people on the move.
I look forward to sharing my adventures with you while also getting to know you throughout the school year!
