Alumni Interview
Jacki Seymour participated in the Linguistic Horizons Internship in Peru and Nutrition and Natural Medicine programs in 2017. Originally from Palo Alto, California, Jacki now attends New York University (NYU) in New York City. She is a Nutrition and Global Public Health double major.
What are your career goals? I have two major career goals, one is to alleviate mental illness with natural remedies as opposed to pharmaceuticals, specifically to work on curing addiction and depression using probiotics and herbal treatment, and my second major career goal is to alleviate poverty and world hunger through sustainable world food sourcing and agriculture. I think that mental illness, and poverty both are huge contributors to economical degradation. I think that sustainability is possible when we realize our nutritional needs and this sets up the foundation to dealing with poverty, and preventing climate change.
What organizations are you involved in on campus? I am currently a member of CrueltyFreeNYU, Oxfam, and the Environmental club.
What advice would you give future Linguistic Horizons students? I would say, don’t be afraid to branch out, don’t be shy! Also, really absorb the information and see the differences between Peruvian cultures from around the world.
What is your favorite memory from your time abroad? My favorite memory from my time in Peru, was getting to have the nutrition lessons which included great, fresh food, while petting cats, and wearing slippers. Now when I envision the place I feel most at home with, or the place with the most comfort, I always picture myself in those slippers.
How did your experience abroad impact your life? Peru further cemented my knowledge that herbs and nutrition are extremely healing, and proved to me that there are ways to avoid modern medicine, in terms of healing. In addition, Peru showed me some of the strongest kindness—blessing my life with friendships, beautiful scenery and the most delicious feel-good natural food.
What was your internship experience like? My internship experience allowed me to see and understand Peruvian culture of herbs in medicine use, as well as helped me cement the direction that I want to move in my life in terms of achieving my goals.
How was your Spanish when you started the program versus when you left? My Spanish before the program was limited to, “Hola, como estas?” and after the program, I could speak a lot more and understand most things, if spoken slow.
What is your proudest accomplishment? My proudest accomplishment has been understanding agriculture practices around the world and getting to experience different cultures in an educational way.
What’s your favorite quote? Just do it – Nike
Anything else you’d like to share? I am so grateful for this experience!
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