Haniah Davis '18 - Languages, Literatures and International Studies

The International Studies and Spanish double major track at NMU is the only reason I do what I do today. To have had the chance to study abroad, strengthen my ability to speak a second language, but also the chance to understand broader global cultural, socioeconomic, and political issues led me to pursue my passion of climate justice. 

Everything we learned about in our Spanish culture and International Studies classes somehow always brought things back to inequities in the world and I knew that after leaving Northern I had to be part of finding solutions and pushing for global change. 

I’ve worked mainly in environmental and climate/renewable energy spaces and I don’t think I would’ve been brave enough to move to Australia for 5 years after my NMU education to pursue a Master’s in International Relations with a focus on Climate Policy. But because of Northern, my supportive professors, and a program that taught me that all we needed was a desire to learn about the world around it, embrace the differences, and take the chance to go out and explore I am living an exciting life and enjoying the early days of what I hope will shape up to be a rewarding career.

Also, thank you Dr. Ulland, Profe Arenillas, Dr. Joy and Dr. Compton for always making me feel seen and like I could do anything I put my mind to. The support was pivotal in helping me see my own potential at a time when I really had no idea what life could look like for me. I graduated from NMU in 2018, I’m 27 now, and I’ve done more in life than I could’ve ever dreamed and my friends and family all know I say it’s because of Northern. So thank you for all you did to get me here!

My major was multidisciplinary and gave me a chance to see the areas of the world that I wanted to plug into. Whether someone has a passion for economics, culture, language, politics or history our department had classes, study abroad opportunities and resources to help you understand where exactly you wanted to be in the world.