This week’s Campus Celebrity is none other than Emily Linebarger! She is a Junior with a double major in Diplomacy and World Affairs and Economics. Emily is very much involved in empowering others as seen through her participation abroad this past summer.
HC: Could you describe your summer abroad experience?
EL: I spent the summer interning abroad with a women’s empowerment social business. The organization, Sunder Rang, worked to train the women to make handicrafts and then sell them to raise the income in the village. I worked with the organization to expand their sales abroad, to balance their budget, and improve their business practices.
HC: What was the most important thing you learned while you were abroad?
EL: I learned a deep sense of humility and understanding of my own limitations. I learned that listening to others, especially those with radically different experiences than you, is the only road to progress. I learned that being a human being is the most important identity I have, and sharing my humanity with others cuts across all boundaries.
HC: What advice would you give those who want to go abroad?
EL: Do your research! Learn the local language, know the area, know the issues inside and out, and then even when you get there assume you don’t know anything. Your biggest goal should be to listen and learn, and then listen and learn some more.
HC: Could you describe your involvement with the OxyMUN?
EL: I founded OxyMUN, Occidental’s Model United Nations Club, during the fall semester of my sophomore year. During 2013-2014 we hosted multiple events on campus, including debates about human trafficking, the status of Taiwan, and a high school conference on the millennium development goals and the global fight to end poverty.
HC: What are your career goals?
EL: I am interested in working in the intersection of business, law, and developmental economics. I want to work on creating legal structures in developing countries that help economies grow without external aid. In a less technical sense, this means creating opportunities for the people in the developing world to enact the changes that are right for them, without politics or government getting in the way. I can pursue this goal through many avenues; including government, business, or legal consulting, and for right now I’m hoping to pursue a joint J.D.-MBA program.
HC: On to the quirky section of our interview. What do you like to do for fun?
EL: I love shopping for records, checking out modern art shows, dancing, catching up on Supernatural on Netflix, and making crazy exotic vegan dishes.
HC: Where’s your favorite spot on campus?
EL: Green Bean. Without question.
HC: What’s your favorite food?
EL: Ooh, toughie. Probably Pad See Ew, but I love pretty much all Thai or Vietnamese noodle dishes.
HC: If you could be a part of any fictional world, book or movie, what would it be?
Definitely the Avengers. And I would be Scarlett Johansson’s character, the Black Widow. Speaking in Russian? Being an international superspy? And working that catsuit, with the flaming red hair to match? Count me in.