Student Testimonial Detail

Nancy Quintanilla

I write this testimonial at a time when I am about to enter the Ph.D. program in English Language and Literature at Cornell University. I recently graduated from UC, Irvine with a double major in English Literature and Global Cultures.

Today, as I reflect on my challenging and gratifying undergraduate experience, I would like to take the time to thank Professor Schwegler (Director of Global Cultures) and everyone involved with the development and growth of Global Cultures as a major. Through this testimony, I hope to rightfully credit this interdisciplinary major and the crucial role it has played in my academic and personal achievements.

During my second year at Irvine, I held a small, yet quite significant conversation with Professor Schwegler. I told him that I was thinking about attending graduate school in order to pursue a PhD in English. At the time, my GPA was barely a 3.0 and he admonished me to keep myself well grounded and realistic in terms of what it would take to successfully apply to top graduate programs. Thanks to Professor Schwegler's pep talk, I took action, so much so that GPA during my last two years at UC Irvine I averaged close to a 3.9 GPA. My love for Global Cultures consequently grew, and the program's flexibility and interdisciplinary structure allowed me to pursue an ethnological study of African music. Meanwhile I was also able to obtain course credit for a class I took while I studied abroad.

Indeed, I cannot help but think about every moment and every form of advice I received while I was an undergraduate. They have all led me to this moment in which I prepare for Fall 2011 enrollment to the Ph.D. program in English Language and Literature at Cornell University. I truly believe that I received a first-class education at UCI and I'd like to thank everyone who worked with me through my Global Cultures major and Humanities Department. Now, I am on to bigger dreams—all with one foot on the ground, yet reaching towards the possibilities that have opened up for me!

Update: Nancy is pursuing a Ph.D. in English Language and Literature at Cornell University!