Meet History Major Nicolette Balazs

Nicolette Balazs is studying for her BA with a major in History and a minor in Communications. She is from Indianapolis, USA, and she is currently the Vice President of STAND, the History and Humanities department representative, and an assistant at the Athletics Office.

Tell us about your background. 
I grew up in the suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana. I was an only child in a middle-class family, and I traveled a lot with my parents, especially around the US, but also Canada. That was what fostered my love for exploring and visiting different places. Therefore, when I was applying to university, I knew that I wanted to go somewhere outside of my state and that at some point I would have wanted to study abroad, most likely in Europe. The majority of the colleges I had applied to were in the US, but while looking at other options I discovered John Cabot’s Gap Year program. That’s when I found out it was an undergraduate university, so I applied. 

How did you handle adapting to a new country?  
I had been to Europe before, but I had never been to Italy or Rome. Before moving, I had the very common American fantasy of pasta, pizza, all of that. I was very excited to come here. My first semester, I was very homesick and I experienced several culture shocks. Living in an area where the predominant language is not English was challenging. But I feel like, after the first semester, things got easier. I was one of those people who went to everything during orientation, I liked to meet new people and do new things, which inspired me to become an orientation leader later on.  

What made you decide to combine History with Communications? 
I discovered that I really liked history in high school, and I knew that this would be my plan going into university. Regarding Communications, I didn’t want to take a minor that was too closely related to history, as I was interested in something that was more complimentary. I had taken a communications class, Introduction to Visual Culture, and that started piquing my interest in it. I also feel like a lot of the CMS courses overlap with history, like the history of media, which is similar to what my thesis will probably be on.  

What is a class and/or professor that has had an impact on you and why? 
I would say the main professor who comes to mind is Professor Gene Ogle, an associate professor of history here at JCU. He is my advisor, and I have taken at least one of his classes every semester since I started. I really like his teaching style, he will be the first reader of my thesis, and he has been really good at giving me advice. It was during one of his classes, Long-Term History of Globalization, that I got the idea of writing my thesis on music and history. When it comes to Communications, I would have to say that the class and the professor that have impacted me so far is TV after TV, with Professor Peter Sarram. He was always on point with feedback, he pushed me to do my best and helped me with my thesis proposal. That was one of the courses that led me to realize how communications can overlap with history, and I found it very interesting. 

You are the Vice president of “STAND” (Students Taking Action-Darfur). Tell us about your experience: when did you join and why? What are your responsibilities? What are we to expect from STAND in the future? 
STAND is a student-run NGO organization and club at JCU. We are involved with a lot of volunteering, and we organize classroom experiences with various professors who may have a niche topic or interest in something that has to do with a humanitarian cause. For example, we just had Professor Isabella Clough Marinaro’s talk about immigrants in Rome and their integration. We also organize several fundraising events throughout the semester.

My experience with STAND began during my second year when I started going to some of the classroom experiences and participated in their painting night fundraiser. Last semester, I joined the board as treasurer. Then, this semester, I got the chance to become Vice president. This role is very varied. For example, I often help the events coordinator, Tatiana, with creating schedules, or our president Emma with facilitating connections and networking, especially around Rome. As far as what we plan to do, we have just started creating a connection with the Bulgari Foundation in Rome. This semester our board will be volunteering at some of their shelters and food drives, and, hopefully, next semester, we will be able to open this initiative up to the student body.

You also represent the History and Humanities Department in the Student Government. Why did you decide to run? What does your role entail? 
The main role of the representative is to be a mediator between faculty and students. Ever since I got the position, I have made sure to introduce myself to as many people as possible and to find out what students think about the department. I send out two surveys per semester to assess students’ opinions about classes, class sizes, major or minor requirements, and so on. I first learned that it was a thing last year. I felt like having been here for two years, I knew a lot of the professors in the department, but also a lot of my peers, so I thought “why not?” 

Last year you were part of JCU’s volleyball team. Tell us about your experience. 
Before coming here, I had been playing volleyball for about eight years and I really enjoyed it, so I kept doing that here. I knew that it was a way to make new friends. In fact, many of the people I met on the team were my first friends at this university. The team in general was always very welcoming, and I had a lot of fun when I played. I loved being able to go to late-night practice and get all my stress out. Unfortunately, this semester, I decided to take a step back, because I felt like it would become too much. However, I have started working in the Athletics department, so that I am still somewhat connected to athletics here at JCU.  

As an American coming to Italy, what advice would you give to a fellow American who is thinking about studying abroad? 
It will be more of a change than you may think. But don’t be afraid to go for it, because it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You will meet a lot of people from all over the world, with different cultures and backgrounds. Don’t be afraid to get involved and try different things. Go to the Clubs Fair, try new sports, and meet people. However, do not girl boss too hard! You may be tempted by all of the activities available, but give it a thought before applying to all of them. Take the leap, it’s worth it.