Teresa Maradiaga

Honduras & Costa Rica

What has been your favorite class at COA? Why?
My favourite classes have been: 1) Physics of Sustainable Energy with Dave Feldman because he makes the learning process so much fun. I learned you can really apply math to real life situations. 2) Fieldworking in Community-Based Research with Todd Little-Siebold because the class was in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and we did independent fieldwork managing our time, and challenge our own reality and way of thinking. This was a life changing experience.

What classes have you taken at COA?
Calculus I
Human Ecology Core Course
Introductory Japanese
Genetics
Writing Seminar
Intro to Global Politics
Intro to Piano
Primitive Art
Community Planning and Decision Making
Business and Non-Profits Basics
Social Science Research Methods
Seminar in Yucatec History and Culture
Intensive Yucatec Maya Fieldworking: Seminar in Community-Based Research
Physics and Math of Sustainable Energy
Public Speaking Workshop
Economic Development: Theory and Case Studies

What was your favorite project at COA? Why?
My favourite project at COA was one lab we had in the Sustainable Energy class where we built a wind turbine ourselves!

What is your dream occupation?
I want to work somewhere where I have the opportunity to speak multiple languages and help people.

Do you work on or off campus? If yes, where?
I work at the Summer Programs office.

What do you see yourself doing after COA?
After COA I will take a gap year working in with an NGO in Latin America and then I plan to go to graduate school.

What country or state would you like to visit? Where would you love to live?
I would like to visit Greenland and I would like to live in Argentina or Costa Rica.

What is happiness to you?
Happiness is being with the people I love. I love the beach and listening to music.

What are your plans, if any, for your internship?
I will be doing my internship with an NGO that works with immigration and children.

What is one of your favorite childhood memories?
Playing with my grandmother.

What is your favorite food to eat? What is your favorite thing to cook?
I love eating and cooking main dishes. I also love mocha ice cream.

What do you like to do when you're not doing school work?
Read novels, listen to music, bike, hike, and yoga.

What are your favorite colors?
Red, blue, white, and green.

What is your favorite flower?
Lotus flower

What are your favorite animals?
Dogs and butterflies.

What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Maybe the chicken...

What is the motto you like to live by?
2 quotes by Confucius "It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop," and, "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."

Why did you choose to come to COA?
Because of the self-designed curriculum. I get to explore other areas of knowledge I didn't know I liked before.

What do you like to study?
I like development studies and languages.

Who are your favorite writers? Poets?
Michael Gladwell, Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges, among others.

Who is your favorite fictional hero?
Professor Xavier from X-Men

What historical figure do you most admire?
Mahatma Gandhi

Who is your hero today?
My aunt because she has taught me patience and tolerance.

What do you value most in your friends?
They challenge my ideas without being afraid of arguing. We can converse about everything from movies to politics.

What do people say is your most marked characteristic?
My smile and my straight forward character

What talent do you wish you had?
I wish could fly.

What is your least favorite spice?
Cinnamon

Do you have anything cool or unique you would like to share?
I bungee jumped twice in a row when I was 15-years-old.