糖心Vlog传媒

International student athlete prepares for next chapter of her education

This spring, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Senior Laura Ruiz Astorga found herself facing the difficult choice of where to continue her education following her graduation in May. Fortunately for her, she had already been accepted to not one, but two of the top schools in her field, and this fall she will begin a master鈥檚 program at the London School of Economics. Ruiz Astorga came to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock from Madrid and was introduced to the world of international relations at a young age through her father, who works for the Spanish government. While in high school in Spain, she was recruited by 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 swim team and soon began her freshman year of college in a city thousands of miles away from her home. Aside from being a student-athlete, Ruiz Astorga also chose to double major in international studies and psychology. 鈥淎t first, I wasn鈥檛 sure I was in the right major for me, but then I got here and made friends with some of my professors and things got much better afterwards,鈥� Ruiz Astorga said, 鈥淒r. Wiebelhaus-Brahm especially got me interested in international studies and taught in a really engaging way.鈥� As a student-athlete, Ruiz Astorga represented 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock with the same level of dedication that she put into her coursework. In February, she and three other swim team members set a new school record for the 200-yard freestyle relay. 鈥淚 really loved being a student-athlete, we have a really great athletic department here,鈥� Ruiz Astorga said. 鈥淓veryone is very close to each other. 聽We were also friends with all the other teams, and it all felt like one big family. I like how this campus is small enough to where you really get to know everyone.鈥� Today, Ruiz Astorga is looking towards the future as she prepares to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in human rights at the London School of Economics. Although she鈥檚 excited to return to Europe, she鈥檒l be forever thankful for her time at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and encourages all students to look into it for their own education and development. 鈥溙切腣log传媒 Little Rock may be small, but that鈥檚 anything but a bad thing. We have great professors who really care about your success,鈥� Ruiz Astorga said, 鈥淚 came from Madrid and had never even heard of Arkansas or Little Rock, but I had so much fun here. This state is beautiful, and I feel like I had a great academic experience overall.鈥� After completing her graduate program, Ruiz Astorga plans to devote herself to protecting human rights on an international level through work with nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations. In the upper right photo,聽Laura Ruiz Astorga, left, participates in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock commencement ceremony on May 11. Photo by Ben Krain.聽