TEDx Talk by Study Abroad Alum: Allie Nunes

by Lindsay Weinberg
 
This April, one of the Education Abroad office’s very own employees had the honor of speaking at a TEDx event here on the CU campus. Allie Nunes currently works as a Program Manager, approving student applications for programs all over the world and advising students on the Europe & Middle East Regional Advising Team. She also coordinates all Education Abroad outreach events and supervises the Marketing & Outreach Interns.

Allie is originally from Houston, Texas. When deciding which college to attend, CU was at the top of her list. After visiting the campus, she fell in love with the Flatirons and the 300 days of sunshine. “The campus was so gorgeous and the people were so welcoming. I knew right away that Colorado was the right place for me.” Allie earned her degree in Broadcast Production with a certificate of International Media. After working as a production intern at CTV in New Zealand for the summer of 2010, she discovered her passion for directing and editing. The fast-paced nature of the internship required her to film stories during the day, then edit ASAP for the nightly news, which she found to be extremely challenging and rewarding work.

After studying abroad on Semester at Sea, Allie got a taste of so many cultures all at once and felt hungry for more. She wanted to live abroad for a significant amount of time, become fluent in the language and understand the culture as best she could. She also wanted to give back and experience a different kind of life, other than the privileged one she had here in the States. These aspirations led Allie to travel to the Philippines and join the Peace Corps after college.

Allie went into the Peace Corps with the intention of working hard and promoting mutual understandings across borders. “Some people have a negative perception about the Peace Corps, thinking that volunteers go wanting to “save” the people in developing countries.” To Allie the most important aspect of the trip was the amazing relationships and bonds formed between volunteers and their communities.

In the Philippines, Allie lived with a host family for the entire 2 years and 4 months of her program, even though it is only required for the first 3 months. She credits her host family with her achieving fluency in Visayan. “I was able to communicate with my 5 and 7 year old host sisters, who became my best friends. I got an inside look at Filipino humor, nuances and traditions. Nothing compares to having a second family, closer than blood relatives, on the other side of the planet!”

Allie worked as a full-time public high school English teacher in the Philippines. Interacting with her students every day and watching them grow over the 2 years was the most rewarding aspect of her work. When her family came to visit a year in, a group of her students surprised them all with a two-hour musical extravaganza, which they had organized all on their own over many weekends. They had even written sweet speeches of gratitude, which was incredibly touching to Allie. 

During her time in the Philippines Allie was involved with gender development initiatives such as GLOW Camps (“Girls Leading Our World”) and environmental sustainability projects. She also founded DNHS Glee Club after noticing that most Filipinos love to sing. The club was a great form of retention to keep the struggling and at-risk students involved and excited about going to school. It also provided students who participated with an opportunity to develop new skills and build confidence. She held the GLOW Camp each year in an attempt to dispel the misinformation that gets spread around the school and that Filipino girls face in their every-day lives. It included activates on leadership skills and HIV/AIDS awareness. They also held many coastal cleanup days, and she worked with environmental volunteers on artificial coral reefs and restoring mangroves. These experiences allowed Allie to get to know the students better and understand more about how their cultural norms shape their views of themselves and the world. She is hopeful that the time they shared will help her students strive to achieve more as they move into adulthood.
           
Allie’s motivation to speak at the TEDx conference came from her wanting to spread awareness about the resiliency of the people of the Philippines and their beautifully positive spirit. Her talk was all about the notion of “Bahala na,” which roughly translates to "No worries" or “Leave it up to God.” Allie believes that the phrase and the Filipino mindset can teach everyone a little something about being less entitled and more grateful for what we have. Filipinos consistently show positivity in times of political turmoil and natural disasters. She wanted the talk to be a reminder to not sweat the small stuff in life.
           
Looking back, Allie would not have done anything differently, even though there were times when she wasn’t quite sure how to tackle the next challenge. Her advice for people looking to go down a similar path is to not be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. “You learn and grow the most at the times when you are least comfortable! I was so lucky to have a globally comparative educational experience of Semester at Sea, combined with grassroots-driven volunteer work later on during the Peace Corps. There is a specific experience abroad that is best for each individual’s hopes and dreams!”