Magdalena Smyth ’25
Global studies
History, Political Science
Magdalena Smyth, from Exeter, New Hampshire, took a gap year after high school. Over the course of six months, she traveled to Albania, Hawaii, and West Virginia for exploration and community service. Then she began classes at Providence College. But her travel never stopped.
During her sophomore year, Magdalena spent winter break in New Orleans with Campus Ministry’s Friar Service and Justice group. That spring she went to Tijuana, Mexico, as part of a Global Border Crossing course to learn about immigration. In the summer, she was awarded a Father Philip A. Smith, O.P. Student Fellowship for Study and Service Abroad to Argentina for six weeks, to teach English to more than 1,200 students at a Catholic school. That was followed by a semester in Rabat, Morocco, where she studied sub-Saharan migration.
When she applied to colleges, Magdalena planned to study theology. After the experiences of her gap year, she decided to major in global studies because of her love for travel and her desire to understand how the world works. She later added minors in history and political science.
“The combination of these three disciplines is still resting on the foundation of my original interest in theology, just in a different way than anticipated,” Magdalena said. “My faith is the reason I want to study the world and help people, and I could talk for hours about how the Catholic faith has inspired my love of community service and travel.”
Often, travel means overcoming challenges. One of the greatest can be the language barrier. Magdalena remembers being close to tears in Argentina and Morocco when she could not clearly communicate what she was trying to say. It gave her a greater appreciation for those in the United States who learn English as a second language.
“I was always comforted, and still am, by the knowledge that love is a universal language, and that people love and appreciate me, and I them, regardless of communication barriers,” Magdalena said.
Magdalena is a resident assistant in the college’s newest residence hall, Shanley Hall. She also served as a Feinstein Community Fellow with My Brother’s Keeper in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, a nonprofit that delivers furniture and food to people in need, and she continues her work with Campus Ministry. She hopes to work one day with an organization that aligns with her values, at a nonprofit or supporting the refugee population.
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