Global aspirations
Global aspirations
- June 2, 2015
- Soc sci undergrad earns international education scholarship
As Andrew Hallak completes his junior year at UCI, he has reason to celebrate. Not
only is the international studies and urban planning double major preparing for his
second trip to the Middle East with the Olive Tree Initiative this August, but he
was recently awarded the $1,000 David Rosten International and Community Service Scholarship
to help fund his travels.
Offered to a student who plans to pursue a career in international affairs and/or
community service, the Rosten scholarship distributes funds to be used for student
research and travel related to humanitarian service. And though Hallak has always
had an interest in global issues and culture, it took some time for him to translate
that interest into educational and career goals. He originally came to UCI as a pre-med,
biomedical engineering student, switching to biological sciences before finding his
true passion in international studies. In fact, it was his involvement with the Olive
Tree Initiative, a university-based group that promotes education on conflict analysis
and resolution, which helped spark his interest in global issues—specifically, the
role that water plays in international disputes.
“I found my views of the world ever expanding and realized the passion I had for learning
about the intricate relationship water plays in international conflicts,” Hallak says.
“This is why I am currently working on a double major with urban studies and a certificate
in conflict analysis and resolution.”
Now he’s applying what he’s learned to his education and development. On his upcoming
trip to the Middle East, Hallak will research the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—with
a specific focus on the water crisis in the Gaza Strip—and work toward developing
a topic for his senior thesis.
In addition to this research and his work with the Olive Tree Initiative, Hallak has
been involved in Fresh START and Students for Global Peacebuilding (SGP), each of which helped encouraged his passion for his area of study. With Fresh START,
Hallak has been able to tutor children from underserved communities—including recent
refugees—in areas such as math, English and science.
“This is something personal to me, as my parents were both displaced Palestinians
and came to the United States in hopes of giving opportunities to their kids,” he
says.
His time with SGP has also given him the opportunity to lend a helping hand, as the
organization promotes peace-building initiatives around the world while educating
citizens through workshops.
“I was involved in planning this year’s Peace Week and recently returned from a 10-day
study abroad trip to Costa Rica under the Global PEACE program,” Hallak says. “We
were able to understand, through experiential learning, the challenges of peace, non-violence,
and social justice issues within Costa Rica. This organization has helped me better
understand the art of nonviolent communication that I have been able to use to help
me in my professional and personal life.”
With the experiences offered by these organizations, Hallak is ready for the challenge
that his upcoming trip will bring, and he hopes this visit will be just as impactful
as the one he took this past winter where one if his favorite memories was experiencing
Christmas Eve in the city of Bethlehem.
“As a Palestinian Christian, this was my first time visiting the area and I was absolutely
dazed by its beauty, history and the perseverance of those living in the area,” he
says. “It was undoubtedly the highlight of my undergraduate career.”
-Bria Balliet, School of Social Sciences
-photos courtesy of Andrew Hallak. Top: Jerusalem in front of the Wailing Wall and
Dome of the Rock. Right: At Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
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