• Senior majoring in International Studies
• Minor in Geography
• Studied abroad in Berlin, Germany in Fall 2021 with IES Abroad
• Interned with the Geospatial Analysis Center; inaugural recipient of the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) Diversity in Environment and Health Internship Program
• Involved with Miami’s chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society
• CAS Ambassador since Fall 2020

"Attend events that interest you, and don’t be afraid to reach out... that kind of help has been really valuable to me."

Why Miami?

Corena Pincham with classmates on a tour of Berlin

“I have to say that Miami actually chose me. I was looking at Miami and a bunch of other schools during senior year, including a couple that I was able to visit. Miami ended up accepting me about a month after I submitted the application. That was a very interesting process for me. I have some family and friends who are Miami alumni, but I didn’t really know too much about Miami beforehand. And once I got to campus for orientation week over the summer, I felt so much better about coming here.

“I knew that Miami’s Department of Global and Intercultural Studies (GIC) has a great program in International Studies, and looking through what the curriculum entailed made me feel even better about my choice. “

Best Miami Experiences

“I’ve had a wonderful experience here at Miami for the past three years, and I’ve appreciated all my faculty and academics. I've had great opportunities to attend various lectures, including events featuring such speakers as Benjamin Wittes, Atifete Jahjaga, Anna Veduta, Michael Bess, Fred Gregory, and more.

“Right now I’m studying abroad in Berlin, Germany, where I am taking courses on European politics and German culture. It is great to be living a bilingual lifestyle for the first time and making a temporary home for myself here. This past month has given me a better understanding of the German perspective of the 20th century, and it’s humbling to be immersed in such a historically and socioculturally dynamic place. I’ve explored Prussian palaces in Potsdam and the renowned Port of Hamburg. I look forward to being back on campus in the spring!

“International Studies contains five different disciplines: history, political science, economics, geography, and anthropology. It’s very multidimensional, and we’ve been able to engage with all of those topics. The intro course that we take within our freshman year addresses all of those within a global context. As we take more advanced coursework, we then get to specialize in certain disciplines.

“Charles Stevens, a senior lecturer of international studies who is now retired, taught my first policy writing course and was my academic advisor up through this past year. I would also highly recommend assistant professor Jennifer Cohen's Development and Inequality course for anyone interested in economic theory. And finally, I’d like to mention Jessica McCarty, associate professor of geography, who after taking her intro to mapping course invited me to apply for (and receive) the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) internship!”

Miami and the Liberal Arts

Corena Pincham at a 2019 Alexander Hamilton Society event on Brexit with expert Jeffrey Gedmin

“I’ve really enjoyed all the coursework within my International Studies major, from the policy writing classes to regional geography. I declared my minor in Geography freshman year as well after taking a political geography class with GIC professor Carl Dahlman. That opened my eyes to a really interesting field within international affairs, and “I would like to make geopolitical analysis a focal point of my career. It would be great to work for the State Department or a think tank oriented around international politics. I also intend to pursue graduate studies in the next few years.

“My major allows me to talk about issues in the developing world such as environmental resource management, immigration, and other topics. We come to understand the wide landscape of this discipline, but you will eventually find something that you’re attracted to and want to specialize in as you develop your career.

“International Studies requires students to take a language up to the 300 level, so I’ve been learning German for the past three years. In addition to that, we learn to write professionally through the policy writing coursework that we take freshman year. The capstone that I’ll be doing in spring 2022 prepares us to break down big global issues and prescribe solutions for them, know where to find that information, and write it in a formal way. That’s been a really valuable skill to acquire, and I hope to use this in my career a lot!

“Another valuable aspect of studying within the College of Arts and Sciences is the access to a plethora of guest lectures connecting us to current events, historical analysis, and various career fields. “

Shaping a Path for a Global Future

Corena Pincham on a boat tour of Hamburg, Germany

“I started engaging with the Center for Career Exploration and Success freshman year, which I’d been advised to do by my parents and other people around me. It has served me very well, from the checks on my resumes and cover letters to engaging with Career Fair events and making networking connections directly with alumni and other employers that are closely connected to Miami. It has all been really, really helpful.

“I look forward to applying everything that I’ve learned as I go into the real world. I actually had an opportunity to do this last year with my internship in the Department of Geography’s Geospatial Analysis Center. This was one of the most unique and fulfilling experiences I’ve had.

“Since 2019, I’ve been a member of Miami’s chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society, which is a national organization with chapters at universities across the country. Students get together to talk about national security, economics, and international affairs issues. Within our group, we’ve also had career development workshops to develop our resumes and get into contact with some of the organization’s leadership and alumni in Washington, D.C.

“It’s been really cool to have these kinds of student forums, where we can just casually talk about current affairs and apply the things that we’re learning in our classes as well as from real-world issues. I feel like it’s preparing me for more advanced-level conversations for my career while becoming a more well-versed person in current events.”

Advice to Students

"Talk to somebody at Miami’s career center early on. You can just spill out the early thoughts you’re having about jobs and internships, and they’ll help you navigate that. Attend events that interest you, and don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help in revising resumes and cover letters. That kind of help has been really valuable to me.

“Spend time at King Library! I’ve really, really loved having access to all of the resources both online and in the physical libraries that we have. You’ll find literature on many topics that you wouldn’t even think would be published. Whether you have to use those resources for class or not, just spend as much time immersing yourself in all that knowledge as you can.”

[October 2021]