Jupiter, FL (November 9, 2010) – Erika Cadena, a native of Mexico City, came to Florida Atlantic University’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College for its liberal arts curriculum, small class sizes, and the ability to have professors teach all her courses as opposed to teaching assistants. Erika is currently a senior at the Honors College with a concentration in International Studies and a minor in Anthropology.

Over the summer of 2010, Erika put her academic experience at FAU to good use. She interned at the Center for Research on North America (CISAN) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), one of the world’s largest universities with more than 300,000 students enrolled each semester. Erika conducted research on topics such as North American immigration, U.S.-Mexico border security, and drug trafficking. All of her research and data collection went into the university’s main library for future use by students and other scholars. Erika was also in charge of putting together the daily bulleting with the major Mexican and American newspaper headlines relating to politics and immigration. She translated from English into Spanish (and vice versa) documents such as statements, newspaper critiques and publications by researchers at the center.

Erika stated that her most memorable experience during her internship was being able to attend the weekly live videoconferences in which the University of Arizona and UNAM debated, discussed, and analyzed issues such as the Arizona Senate Bill 1170, the bill that made illegal immigration a crime equivalent to trespassing in the state. “Furthermore, I was able to attend presentations by top researchers like Dr. Barbara Frey from the University of Minnesota, which gave me insights on topics such as Human Rights.”

At CISAN, Erika was able to talk one-on-one with professors who specialize in the area of international relations, economics and sociology and learn about the research each one is conducting. “During these talks, I shared my thoughts on topics about their fields. They were surprised to hear about the liberal arts curriculum at the Honors College since most of their own students in the social sciences never take a class outside their field. I was proud to say I am a student at the Honors College.”

As she begins her senior thesis year, Erika has already had the opportunity to put the research techniques she learned this summer to use. She is also channeling her interest in immigration through an internship at El Sol, Jupiter’s Neighborhood Resource Center. El Sol is a multi-faceted 501(c) 3 non-profit group with a mission to assist Jupiter’s immigrant population become an active and integrated part of the larger Jupiter community.  El Sol also tries to build bridges among the different ethnic, cultural and religious groups in the local area. As an intern at El Sol, Erika assists the Labor Coordinator and teaches English classes once a week, mainly to Guatemalan and Mexican immigrants.

Dr. Timothy Steigenga, Professor of Political Science at FAU’s Wilkes Honors College, is tremendously proud of his student’s motivation. “Erika is a good example of how an internship and study abroad experience can provide important real world knowledge that can be put to use for both academic and applied purposes. Her internship in Mexico has informed her thesis research on local immigration enforcement and sparked her interest in working with El Sol.”

Erika will continue to pursue her interests in international studies. Next semester, Erika plans to participate at FAU’s diplomacy program: Model United Nations. She will travel to New York City in April to participate in the UN simulation in which she will practice using diplomatic and negotiation skills to delegate on behalf of a country. After graduation from the Honors College, she would like to continue her focus on immigration policy and one day become a diplomat representing her home country, Mexico.

byline: WHC Student Intern Tamara Howard