About Alana Caballero-Rivera
San Juan, P.R.
Humanities Departmental Award
International Studies major (Political Science concentration) | Spanish, and Digital Media Production & Journalism minors | French Language certificate
“My Flagler experience was transformative, challenging, and unforgettable.”
Honors Program, Latin American Student Association Public Relations, Center for Global Education Work Study, DEI&B Intern, Ring Power Intern, Distinguished Lewis-Wiley Scholarship Recipient
Alana's History-Making Moments
Describe your central passion(s) and how you hope to carry that into your post-grad plans:
My central passions have always involved wanting to know more about the world. I love traveling and learning about cultures, languages, and peoples. I think this curiosity has always guided my interests and my studies. I will carry this into my post-grad plans by moving abroad to Sweden for my master's and continuing to travel when I can.
What (or who) helped inspire your passion in this area (or areas)?
I think my parents and grandparents inspired these passions from a young age. As children, my sister and I were never excluded from a travel opportunity with the adults, and we were always brought along for the ride to visit new places or travel within or outside of Puerto Rico.
Briefly tell us the story of one stand-out memory from your time at Flagler that will always make you smile:
Some stand-out memories at Flagler are from Welcome Week my sophomore year when I joined Saints Squad and met a lot of new friends very quickly. I met my closest friend to date and this time kickstarted my want to be more involved on campus. I joined SGA and Latin American Students Association around the same, became an intern for the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging and continued to be super involved in as many events and organizations as I could.
What academic resources, experiences, or mentors proved most valuable throughout your Flagler experience?
I think my time in FlagSHIP and the opportunity to study abroad for a semester in England were some of the most valuable experiences I had at Flagler. For FlagSHIP, I went to Bulgaria for two weeks with Ms. Lisa Fiala for her class on International Relations and Language Immersion. This experience exposed me to a completely different language and culture from what I knew. Ms. Fiala’s previous experience in Bulgaria and throughout her life and career inspired a lot of my own career aspirations.
What is one piece of advice or lesson you learned about the college experience that you wish you could tell your freshman year self?
Try everything! I joined so many organizations, held many leadership positions, and tried many different classes and jobs that I did not think were for me at first. Not everything was made for you and that is completely fine, but you will never know that if you don’t try it first. At the end of your Flagler experience, you would want to say to yourself, “I did it all”, and have no regrets.
Tell us about what you’re up to next! Any cool experiences, professional positions, or unique opportunities you have lined up after graduation?
I am moving to Sweden to do my master's in International and Comparative Education at Stockholm University for two years. After that, who’s to say? I will make use of every opportunity as I can.
Featured Work
Honors Freshman Year Learning Community blogposts
2024 Com Week award-winning short film (2nd Place)
Student Presenter at the Florida Lessons from Abroad Conference at Stetson University: “The Passport Chronicles: Challenges and Triumphs in Study Abroad”
Honors Capstone Project: Created a study abroad trip from scratch and proposed it to the Center for Global Education just as a Flagler professor would.