Justin Allison
- Macalester College
- India, Fall 2010
Hometown: Madison, WI
Major & minor: Sociology and Legal Studies Concentration, with a Psychology minor
Activities & interests: For this summer and past semester, I have been volunteering as a mentor and coordinator at the International Institute of Minnesota, working with newly arrived immigrants and refugees coming to the Twin Cities. Most recently I have been helping Karen and Somalian immigrants receive governmental assistance and housing. This past year at Macalester, I was a MacWard Bound leader for a pre-orientation retreat for incoming freshman up to the Boundary Waters in Northern Minnesota.
Why I chose to do this program: I knew before college that I wanted to study abroad in a foreign country, and as time went on, I came to desire a certain level of unfamiliarity in the country that I would choose to study abroad in. For me, India represents that, and Pune seems like the perfect introduction to the diversity, vibrancy and history that India has. Previous study abroad experience has taught me the value of living with a host family, acting as a cultural bridge and providing a warm face in moments of intrigue or confusion. The program in Pune contains all this, and even more by allowing us to observe, travel and interact with all that is around us.
What I'm most excited about: Studying abroad in India will reveal a perspective that I have never had before. I am eager about the connections, insight and experience that my time will reveal. I cannot wait to be surrounded by a multitude of new experiences, new people all in a new country!
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