The year before Adrienne Beitcher ’12 came to 61传媒, she fostered a love for Latin America by traveling through Costa Rica. That appreciation for the culture and the people fueled her senior thesis project, which she submitted shortly before graduation.
“I focused on how neoliberal economic policies implemented in Bolivia in the 1980’s affected indigenous women,” she says. “Neoliberalism exacerbated the number of Bolivian women who migrated to Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Chile, and the United States, leaving behind children and aging parents.
“Mothers are forced to be mothers across national boundaries.”
Adrienne’s thesis also explored the coping methods and household survival strategies used when large numbers of women become transnational mothers. “I became interested in the topic when studying abroad in Bolivia and interviewing migrant women,” she says. “I also furthered my interest while studying abroad in Argentina, where I worked with female Bolivian migrants.”
Her experiences traveling, researching, and writing senior thesis leads Adrienne to hope for a career in the field. “I learned that I love doing research, how amazing mothers are, how special friendships are, and that my thesis subject is a field that I would like to continue working in after graduation.” She hopes to work “on the ground” with migrant women, while also furthering her research beyond thesis.
As for immediate plans post-graduation? “I just bought a one-way plane ticket to Chile leaving September 2!” she says. “My plans are to backpack through South America for around six months and see where I am after that.” While she eventually plans to return to her research, she’s excited about the freedom travel brings.聽“I’m really excited about having no structure or timetable defining my actions鈥攆or the first time since preschool!”