Experience #2

This class absolutely changed my life. 

A first-year student fresh to the studies of intermediate international relations, Dr. Ivanov's class helped me jump into the deep end, learning about a branch of global studies that goes either widely unnoticed or severely dismissed. Though not a resident of an EU state, looking primarily at the supra-governmental organizations as well as the organs of the EU itself widened my perspectives on national cooperation and global interdependence more than ever before. Through a series of discussion papers as well as a final research paper focused on the current efforts on AI regulation by the EU, I was able to voice my own opinions and suggest reform, ideas that were then shared and critiqued during in-class discussion sessions. I will be forever grateful to have taken a class with such a knowledgeable and qualified professor, let alone his personal anecdotes and stories living in the EU as he is a Bulgarian citizen. Additionally, I had a blast exploring the cities we visited and getting closer to the adults and classmates on my trip. Roaming the streets of the 750-year-old city of Amsterdam, visiting churches from the1300s, and examining the post WWII legacy of the International Court of Justice?! Lets just say it was a history buff's heaven!

Pics or it didn't happen, right?

Below are various images from my time in Brussels, Belgium and The Hague and Amsterdam in the Netherlands illustrating the various activities and institutions I had the honor of visiting. Following our time in a formal classroom setting, I was able to get closer to my fellow honors classmates and dig deep into the customs, cuisine, and sights of Europe alltogether. It was truly a surreal experience stepping foot into the organizations I had learned so much about prior to the trip!