Senior Jaclyn Grace, a Baldwin Scholar, has utilized her experience abroad to enhance her academic endeavors at Duke.
Grace is majoring in international comparative studies and French. As part of her international comparative studies curriculum, Grace had to select a region that matches a language of her choice. Thus she decided to pair Sub-Saharan Africa with the French language.
She spent her entire junior year abroad in two different countries: Cameroon and France. In the fall, she studied in Cameroon through School for International Training (SIT) Study Abroad.
While in Cameroon, Grace spent two months taking courses on development, interactions between different races and social classes and diversity in Cameroon. She spent the final month of the program conducting research on community development in Cameroon.
“I lived in a village in the western part of the country and I got to work with different community organizations,” she said. “The point of my project was to see how people in the village conduct their own [socio-economic] development, how they pool their resources within their own community, and the values and strategies to better lives of people here.”
Grace is using her field research to write a senior international comparative studies thesis.
In the spring, Grace participated in the Duke in France program. She noted that because it is more popular to study in France during the fall, she had a more intimate classroom experience. The program also spanned from January until June, allowing her an extra month of classes than Duke’s terms typically last.
“My favorite part was definitely my classes,” she said. “They bettered my French-speaking ability so much and my writing and comprehension skills got so much better.”
Grace said taking French classes in France forced her to think outside of her American perspective. She also encouraged more students to look into different Francophone countries to enhance their coursework.
When Grace is in Durham, she works at the Duke Women’s Center and sings in Duke Chorale. She is currently searching for jobs and fellowships, primarily in Washington, D.C. or French-speaking countries. She added that she would like to eventually attend graduate school, but wants to get work experience first.
Grace said she would consider doing work related to international development, the Peace Corps or working for the United Nations Secretariat.
Department of Romance Studies
