Student Profile
Vitals:
Name: Ebi Spahiu
Graduation Year: 2009
Hometown: Tirana, Albania
Major: Political Science Minor
Weekend Activity: Exploring New York City, Dance, Spending time with friends
Ebi is in her junior year at Manhattanville where she is majoring in International Studies and minoring in Political Science. She lived in Tirana, the capital of Albania, until she was 16 when her family moved to Beijing, China.
"I first learned about Manhattanville through a college fair in one of Beijing's International Schools," Ebi said. "When I saw the brochure I knew it was going to be one of my top choices, and I have absolutely loved my experience here so far."
Ebi spends much of her time outside the classroom participating in activities on campus. She is part of the Student Advisory group for the Duchesne Center's Global Citizenship Program and is also a member of the International Student Organization. Last year she was the Organization's vice president. She also works with a few of the Duchesne Center's community service programs. "I enjoy doing community service because it brings me into contact with people I never thought I would meet," she said. "Last spring I went to El Salvador with a wonderful group of students from Manhattanville to help local communities in San Salvador. I absolutely fell in love with a culture and a country that was previously completely unknown to me. I also appreciate the opportunity to participate with the All Souls Soups Kitchen which serves the homeless of New York City."
Since she is studying international issues and politics, Ebi has also taken advantage of Manhattanville's affiliation with the United Nations. She and other Manhattanville students have attended UN conferences and even assisted the staff there. "Opportunities like that are particularly important because it introduced me to the extended political world I want to be a part of in the future," she said. Ebi's language skills should also prove useful in her future endeavors. In addition to Albanian and English, she speaks Italian, Spanish, Chinese and a little Portuguese.
This summer she will be working at the United Nations and in the spring will participate in the study abroad program in Rome.