McCall MacBain International Fellowship Recipients 2018

Somaya

Political Science, McGill University

Fellowship year: French in France

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Somaya grew up in Afghanistan and came to Canada at the start of her high school years. Her interests include migration policies and she is particularly interested in migration politics under President Emmanuel Macron in France, and mastering French. She has been to France once before on a short school trip. She is fluent in English, Dari/Farsi, with an intermediate level of French and a basic level of Spanish.

David

Mechanical Engineering, Queen’s University

Fellowship year: German in Germany

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David is interested in the alignment of mechanical engineering and green technology, and chose Germany as his destination due to their advances in this field. His international experience to date includes three months on exchange in Valladolid, Spain as a high school student, as well as a month and a half travelling the Camino de Santiago. He also spent a Loran summer working on a community development project in Kathmandu, Nepal. He is fluent in English with an intermediate level of Spanish.

Catherine

Psychology, University of Montreal

Fellowship year: Spanish in Peru

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Catherine’s academic and career interests include mental health and intercultural psychology. Her international experience includes a summer working in Brussels and a 5-month university exchange to Leeds University in the UK. She is currently working in New York City this summer. She is fluent in French with an advanced level of English.

Caitlin

Sustainability and Biology, Dalhousie University

Fellowship year: Spanish in Costa Rica

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Caitlin is drawn to Costa Rica in part because of her interest in coastal restoration and climate change mitigation efforts. She plans to volunteer with Corcovado Foundation where she will be working on mangrove restoration and coral reef monitoring. Her international experience includes significant travel for short periods, as well as a 3-month community development Loran summer in Kenya, and backpacking through Europe for two months after CEGEP. She is fluent in English and French, with a basic level of Spanish.

Jocelyn

Public Administration, University of Ottawa

Fellowship year: Spanish in Spain

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Jocelyn chose Spain in part because of his deep interests in learning Spanish and understanding Catalan language and culture and the parallels to Acadian culture and history. He participated in a Rotary exchange to Austria for 1.5 months as a high school student, as well as travel in Europe, the US, and Latin America & Caribbean. Jocelyn is fluent in French with an advanced level of English.

Gracie

Philosophy, McGill University

Fellowship year: Thai in Thailand

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Gracie is passionate about harm reduction and frontline work, and during her summers she has done both frontline and policy work with some of the most marginalized populations. She chose Thailand for many reasons, including its lack of colonial history, its progressive approach to harm reduction, and its people, language, and culture. Gracie spent a full year abroad in Kanazawa, Japan at the age of 16 on a rotary exchange program where she lived with a Japanese family and went to the local Japanese high school. She is fluent in English and has an intermediate level of Japanese and a basic level of Spanish.

Wynn

Political Science, McGill University

Fellowship year: Spanish in Argentina

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Wynn is interested in democracy and social movements in South America, and in mastering Spanish to allow her to more deeply understand this history in Argentina. She has been heavily involved in Engineers Without Borders at McGill, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the National Failure Report this year. She has traveled to the US and Europe, and this will be her first extended international experience. She is fluent in English with an intermediate level of French.

Bronwyn

Commerce, Queen’s University

Fellowship year: Mandarin in China

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Bronwyn plans to work as a consultant or a lawyer and has a keen interest in clean energy technologies, social investment and entrepreneurship. Her interest in China stems from her desire to learn this widely-spoken language and gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. At the age of 16, Bronwyn participated in a year-long exchange program to Santos, Brazil on a rotary exchange. She is fluent in English, with an intermediate level of Portuguese and French, and a basic level of Spanish.

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