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Celestine Johnson (KOGOD/SIS/CAS ’07) at the ruins of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico
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Citizens of North America
CELESTINE JOHNSON (KOGOD, SIS, CAS/BA ’07)
CELESTINE JOHNSON (KOGOD, SIS, CAS/BA ’07) considered studying in India or China, but decided on Mexico as “a good way to better understand my home state of California, which is 50 percent Hispanic.” Johnson’s fall 2005 semester at Tec de Monterrey (ITESM) significantly improved her understanding of Mexico. She took her courses in Spanish, lived near the university with Mexican students, and interned at the Monterrey Chamber of Commerce.
Last May, Johnson participated in a simulated interparliamentary exercise, called the “Triumvirate” (see Marlon Brown story). She played the role of a legislator from Mexico’s poor state of Chiapas and led debates on a North American Investment Fund, an idea developed by AU’s Center for North American Studies and recently introduced as a bill by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). Describing the experience as “a crash course on the region’s most relevant issues,” Johnson decided to pursue a minor in North American Studies from AU. She also completed the 2006 “North American Business Environment” course (see page 8), which expanded her understanding of the issues.
The minor will join her majors—business from Kogod and international development from SIS—and enable her to focus on Mexico’s relations with its northern neighbors. After graduation from AU, Johnson hopes to continue studying regional integration as a Fulbright Scholar at a Canadian or Mexican university.
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