Eline Pellicano ’24 applies her abroad experience to her senior thesis

Eline Pellicano ’24 is an international affairs major who studied abroad in fall 2022 through Lafayette in London and in winter 2023 through our Global Senegal program. She received the Gilman Scholarship for her winter Senegal program. Eline is one of our 2023-24 Assante-Carrasco Scholars, and her senior thesis is inspired by her work over the summer at a women’s refugee charity in Brixton, London.

What was your favorite course abroad and why?

One of my favorite courses abroad was entitled “Migration Technology and Humanitarianism,” which discussed the use of biometric data in EU immigration systems. I learned so much about refugee systems in that course and, paired with lessons of British racial politics in Professor Nandini Sikand’s “Empire Strikes Back” class, it showed me an area of scholarship I’ve become really passionate about.

What is your most cherished memory of your abroad experience?

One of my most cherished experiences in my time abroad was being on the train from London to Edinburgh with our Lafayette cohort, looking out the window and marveling at the changing landscape. We witnessed the breathtaking beauty of the country outside the urban setting of London, from green pastures to the sparkling blue sea. It was a scenic four-hour ride. Every once in a while, someone would shout, “Look at the sheep,” and we’d laugh. When we arrived in Edinburgh, we were greeted by the sound of bagpipes right away. It felt like a different world.