Student Testimonial Detail

Eliza Partika

The program in Middle East Studies has exposed me to a culture and people I did not know much about before coming to university. Through this program, I have not only grown as a writer but as a student, an observer, and a traveler. In my study of the Middle East, I was exposed to ancient civilizations and art that predate and often form the values we take for granted in the West. I learned about politics and colonialism and conflict resolution with such depth and care for the people experiencing the conflicts in the region that I took this knowledge and studied abroad in Israel and Palestine with the Olive Tree Initiative and the Fact Finders Learning Mission. I began learning both Hebrew and Arabic. I have gained so much insight about myself as a writer and as a result of this program, have determined a clear role for myself as an arbiter of information about culture and conflict. I hope this knowledge of a beautiful people and culture will propel my career as a foreign correspondent. I will be studying at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism as a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow to study Arabic and the Middle East and to earn an M.A. in Journalism.