Alejandra Orozco, Arabic
Alejandra Orozco is an alumna of the 2018 Arabic Summer program in Morocco. After finishing the NSLI-Y program, she enrolled at Stanford University, where she studied Management Science and Engineering, and then was awarded a Schwarzman Scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University in China. Alejandra currently works as a Latin America Investment Banking Analyst at J.P. Morgan.
Alejandra was initially inspired to study abroad through her love of literature, as she loved reading about the Middle East in her world literature classes. Inspired by a quote in Don Quixote about seeing the world in another language, Alejandra set off on her path to learn new languages and better understand other cultures, which led her to NSLI-Y and Morocco. Growing up on the Mexican-American border, Alejandra struggled to feel wholly American or wholly Mexican. One impactful experience of her NSLI-Y program was seeing other individuals living along the border of Spain and Morocco in Ceuta. Through this experience, Alejandra felt a connection with the Ceutans, regarding a part of her identity in which she had previously felt isolated. Other impactful experiences during her time in Morocco included quality time with her host family on the beach and spending time with local elders to learn about their traditions.
Alejandra credits NSLI-Y with giving her a more global perspective in her professional interests, noting that “When I think of the impact I want to have, I think at a global scale, which is why I’m working with a company that allows me to have broader work experience.” This belief also led her to study in China, as she was curious to use what she learned about China’s approach to fintech and financial inclusion in the context of Mexico. Alejandra is interested in learning from the successes of developing countries to be able to apply lessons learned to other emerging economies. Alejandra also emphasizes that participating in such global programs has made open-mindedness an essential part of her life and interactions with others, noting that “even if I don’t understand people linguistically or culturally, a common denominator of the host countries I’ve been in has been kindness. I have learned to approach things with kindness and an open mind, and I have also learned to assume best intent wherever I go.”