Ottman will spend spring semester in Madrid courtesy of an IES Abroad Cross-Cultural and Comparative Studies Scholarship.
It wasn't until Noel Ottman '10 interned at a Quaker peace house in Mexico City that her interest in Latin American culture blossomed into a full-fledged passion. The experience also influenced her decision to study abroad in Spain, she says:“I wanted to go to Spain to see what the differences and similarities were between Latin American and Iberian cultures, and to understand the Iberian perspective on the history and present situation of the Americas.”
This semester, Ottman will have the chance to explore this topic as a student at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and as a recipient of an IES Abroad Cross-Cultural and Comparative Studies Scholarship. IES Abroad is one of the country's oldest and largest providers of study-abroad programs, with more than 80 programs in 31 cities. Ottman had already been admitted to IES Abroad's program in Madrid before applying for the scholarship; because she is a history major with a Latin American and Iberian Studies concentration, the cross-cultural nature of the program appealed to her.
In Madrid, Ottman hopes to take more history classes, especially art history—“Madrid has some amazing museums, like the Prado, so it would be cool to study the paintings and then go see them!” She also wants to find volunteer opportunities, particularly in a medical setting, as she is currently fulfilling pre-med requirements at Haverford.“I would be interested in building on my work in Mexico by helping a women's center or women's rights advocacy,” says Ottman, who also gave her time to a local women's center and a community women's organization while interning in Mexico City.
After graduating from Haverford, Ottman plans to attend medical school, and continue working with the Latin American population.“I want to be a doctor, but I hope that by learning about more than just science—by studying the patterns of human history, by improving my Spanish and exploring different cultures—I will be able to better serve patients, including the growing Latin American population in the U.S.,” she says.
