College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

• International excellence

  Undergraduate Jessica Maves honored with LAS international award.

• It's almost easier to list the countries that Jessica Maves hasn't been to while an Iowa State student. One professor described the senior as the student "with the most frequent flyer miles" on campus.
  
  In her four years at Iowa State, Maves has participated in four separate study abroad programs and she has been recognized for her international work with the 2008 LAS Student International Excellence Award.
  
  "It's been pretty easy to get that second major in international studies," Maves says. "Iowa State has opened my eyes to international travel and has provided me a great venue through which to travel in."
  
  Maves' travels actually began in high school when she went to Western Europe.
  
  But it was a summer-long Iowa State study abroad program that gave her the bug to travel.
  
  "The Tones of Florence was a great way to be introduced to study abroad," she said. "That program was so much fun and it was great to be with a professor who knew the most intricate details of every place we visited."
  
  Soon Maves was traveling to Belize, participating in a language program in Egypt and touring China with the Iowa State Singers. Along the way, the political science major began researching local elections in such countries as Iceland, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Japan and Turkey.
  
  "I knew from the outset that I was interested in international politics," the honors student says, "and it seems like every time I go abroad there is a local election.
  
  "This summer I was in Turkey for a friend's wedding and, of course, there was an election. I talked with people to see where they stood on the issues."
  
  No matter if she is in London, Cairo or Beijing, Maves makes it a point to talk with locals. That's the best way she says to learn about the country.
  
  "That is the best way to understand how people behave," she says. "You can't truly read about culture in a book. I love interacting with people and experiencing history first hand.
  
  "People want to tell me their history - tell me places to go."
  
  But just as importantly they want to learn about Maves and why she is in Dubai or Istanbul.
  
  "The world is a big place," Maves says. "But we have so much in common and we all have things we can relate to."
  

Jessica Maves

Around LAS
April 14-27, 2008

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