Student Profiles
Student Seeks Path to Stability and Influence
“When I meet international students, I envy their intellectuality and awareness of what is going on in the world,” says Tarra Louis-Charles ’08 (legal studies). “I think study abroad will expand my worldview and give me a deeper appreciation for where I come from—and who I am—as well as how it feels to be disconnected from my own language and culture. Study abroad prepares tomorrow’s leaders to think and act with a global consciousness. Producing successive generations of students who have had such an experience will enable the United States to hear, see and know the world in ways that will help us deal effectively with threats.”
This fall Louis-Charles will be heading to Costa Rica, thanks in part to an Ansin Study Abroad Fellowship offered through the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, to experience another culture first-hand. She chose Costa Rica because of a class that emphasized law and society in Latin America. “I noticed that Costa Rica is one of the most peaceful countries in Central America,” Louis-Charles says. “It is the first to have abolished its army, and it acts as a mediator for other countries.”
When Louis-Charles took alternative dispute resolution, she became intrigued with the concept of creating a win-win situation using the integration method that allows disputing parties to achieve resolution without having to go to war. “When I did my research on Costa Rica,” Louis-Charles notes, “I had an automatic interest in learning more about the people and how they relate to one another.”
Louis-Charles began her academic experience at UMass Boston. “My mother is an immigrant from Haiti, and she overcomes many struggles and obstacles to care for my sister and me,” she says. “I thought attending a less expensive school would be better financially, but it wasn’t. I didn’t get enough financial aid, had to commute everyday from Stoughton, and didn’t have a social life since most people worked and didn’t have time for fun. I even had to miss a semester because of my financial situation.”
Despite strong academics, Louis-Charles worried constantly that she wouldn’t be able to continue her education. After reading about UMass Amherst’s financial aid program, she decided to apply. “When I received my financial aid package in the mail, I felt extremely blessed and happy to be getting several grants and a small loan. Coming to UMass Amherst was the best decision I have ever made.”
Louis-Charles grew up thinking she wanted to be a doctor. “But I realized that the only reason I wanted to go to medical school was because of family influence.” She has taken lots of courses and in fact changed her major three times. “In the process I discovered an interest in the legal system. I’m interested in foreign affairs, and see myself doing something where I have a voice and the ability to positively influence the world. I want to do something I enjoy and have a stable life too,” she notes. Louis-Charles has incorporated sociology and Spanish as part of her concentration in legal studies because “I want to learn how the law affects people from different backgrounds. I think getting a master’s in global affairs and public policy and certified in mediation will help me achieve my goals for the future.”
As far as her social life is concerned, Louis-Charles is involved in the Haitian American Student Association. “I love speaking Creole with my peers learning about Haitian affairs. And I’m trying to make the most of my college experience because I know the time will be over in the blink of an eye.”
July 23, 2007
