HELLO, I'M
Marissa Brinkman
Public Administration & Sustainability Student
Marissa Brinkman
BA, Public Administration
BA, Sustainability and the Environment
Certificate, Agroecology
FIU Honors College Student
"The only way to combat the darkness around us is to light a fire within us"
- Seth Adam Smith
About the author
Marissa Brinkman is a senior at Florida International University. She will be graduating from FIU with two degrees: Public Administration and Sustainability and the Environment, and a certificate in Agroecology. She is an Honors College student, 2021 Hamilton Scholar, 2022 Millennium Fellow, former Peace Corps Campus Ambassador, and an AmeriCorps Alum. She is currently the Director of Community Engagement for the Intercollegiate Psychedelic Network, where she focuses on professional development for students who hope to enter the psychedelic industry.
Global Learning Favorite Courses
Global Learning Master Course List
IDH 3034: Washington Seminar Course
This course allows students who are a part of the Hamilton Scholar program to get more aquainted with the D.C area and policy as a whole. I really liked Professor Anthony Rionda and the guest speakers that the FIU in DC team brought in. A core component of this class and program was conducting research. The topic that I chose was how to foster diversity and generate more equity in the agriculture field, specifically in South Florida. I'm going to talk more about what being a Hamilton Scholar entails in a different section, stay tuned!
Spring 2020
ANT 3241: Myth, Ritual, Mysticism
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EVR 4274: Sustainable Agriculture
Summer 2020
PAD3034: Policy Development & Implementation
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PAD 3800: Managing Global Cities
IDH 3035: The Psychedelic Renaissance
Fall 2020
I liked this class tremendously as it gave me an entirely new base of knowledge that I previously never held. I learned about history, chemistry, drug policy, and examined American culture in a way I never had before. Our Professor, Dr. Lichter, empowered us by encouraging us every week to conduct our own research/thought-processes by writing original reflections and elaborating on what we though. This class was my first introduction to concepts like psychedelic therapy and the usage of drugs like psilocybin or MDMA being used for a medical purpose rather than purely recreational. It is because of Dr. Lichter and the guest speakers from the psychedelic space/professional world that he brought in, who allowed me to be where I am now, and hold the internship that I do. I have made some of my best friends as a result of this class, and I couldn't be more grateful to have taken it. I am now the Honors College Peer Mentor for this year's class because of my devotion/unending gratitude. It is such an honor to work with students who are just as passionate about this topic as myself.
MMC 3303: Global Media and Society
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EVR 4272: Agroecology
Fall 2021
EVR 1017: Climate Change Global Env. & Society
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IDH 3034: Washington Seminar Course
Spring 2022
IDH- 3035- The Psychedelic Renaissance
EVR 4272: Agroecology
Fall 2022
This class, along with it's counter part "Sustainable Agriculture", was especially notable as it completely changed my relationship with food and the earth as a whole. I got to learn more in depth about alternative, more eco-conscious ways to grow food. Part of this class dealt with growing our own crops in the FIU organic garden. That part was super fun and educational as we got to implement what we learned in class in a hands-on way. At one point our garden plot was doing very poorly, and it was my idea (borrowed from our textbook) to plant sun hemp in order to bring back needed nutrients. The idea worked and our garden bed flourished! Agriculture is something I see myself doing in the future and I'm very thankful to those within the FIU Agroecology Department for making this possible.
IDH 3034- The Special Relationship: United Kingdom, the United States, the Common Law and the Foundations of Economic Liberty, Democracy and Freedom.
Spring 2023
IDH 3035- Film in the Developing World: the Middle East and Beyond
Global Learning
Reflection
Marissa's Global Learning Story
My path to becoming a Global Learning student is one that was certainly odd and definitely not linear. I first heard about GL through Dr. Stephanie Doscher, an old friend of my mom's who she urged me to reach out to. With the help of Dr. Doscher and Yenisleidy (Yeni) Simon, I stepped into the role I hold now as a Global Learning student.
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Being a global learning student is something by no means required of a FIU student, however, I felt that my involvement would be a sure way to not only make friends, but to positively impact the world around me. I couldn’t have been more right. I heavily developed my “global perspective” by taking GL courses like Anthropology of Myth Ritual and Mysticism and Film in the Developing world or attending events such as the most recent I attended, which discussed Haitian art and culture.
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As a result of my exposure, I thought about how others view the world on a much more layered and complex level. I got out of my American/ “Miamian” bubble, and instead thought deeply about the people of the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East, and the world as a whole. I gained “global awareness” as a result, strengthening it the further along I went in my academic career as I met and made friends with more people from different cultures.
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Throughout my time at FIU, I did my best to remain open and curious about all things. This attitude was particularly helpful and relevant in the realm of “global engagement”. I engaged with many concepts and topics that were different from my former reality and outside of my comfort zone.
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I would really like to thank Ana Prado and Michelle Zaldivar with the Office of Global Learning Initiatives. While I may not have started my journey with them, it was such an honor to complete my last year at FIU with them by my side. They’ve been some of my biggest supporters and advocates to date, and are really a cornerstone of this institution. Thank you.
FIU Experiences
In 2021 I was awarded the absolute pleasure of being a Hamilton Scholar with FIU in DC. From August to December 2021 I lived and worked in Washington D.C only a 5 minute walk from the Capitol Building. As a Hamilton Scholar, I conducted research for FIU in addition to working as an intern at the Partnership for Public Service. The topic that I chose was how to foster diversity and generate more equity in the agriculture field, specifically in South Florida. I met with key members of the USDA Equity Commission such as Maribel Duran along with FIU faculty from the Agroecology Department like Dr. Mahdev Bhat. Forging this partnership allowed for FIU to gain notoriety with the USDA and in the future potentially receive more grants/funding. It was a really wonderful moment to see everyone in one zoom room talking and planning all because of my hard work. It's because of my time as a Hamilton Scholar that I got to be where I am now. Eric Feldman in particular has written numerous letters of rec for me and is truly a powerhouse. Eric has been a driving force and a constant reassurance not to just me, but to some of my best friends, such as former Hamilton Scholars Gerald Torres and Nicole Hatton. I would like to thank Eric, Gerald, and Nicole for being my biggest allies and advocates of my college career. You all give my life so much meaning. I would also like to thank Carlos Becerra who was unbelievably impactful during my time in DC.
During my time as a millennium fellow, my cohort and I examined our leadership skills through an international lens. We met once a week and followed a guided prompt such as how to include the community into your project, creating community partnerships, and adapting to other leadership styles by first figuring yours out. Each of us within the cohort had our own project. The one that I chose to take on was the development of Panthers for Sensible Drug Policy, an FIU offshoot of the harm reduction and drug policy organization, Students for Sensible Drug Policy. While I was not able to officialize this organization, I was able to lay the roots and foundation for those who will come after me, by finding and creating community partnerships.
Internships:
Peace Corps Campus Ambassador, FIU
Agricultural researcher, Tiny Farm
Office of University Sustainability (OUS), FIU
Governmental Affairs Intern, Alliance for Congress, Partnership for Public Service
Renewable Energy intern, U.S Department of Energy (DOE)
Honors College Student Mentor, FIU
Director of Community Engagement, Intercollegiate Psychedelic Network
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In my last semester at FIU, I got to be a peer mentor for the FIU Honors College class, "The Psychedelic Renaissance". Within this role, I sat in on every class, providing extra support and clarification for any questions the students might have about the subject manner. I also made myself available to students after class hours, and was frequently consulted for advice regarding the homework and class presentations the students had to give. One way that I went above and beyond was by organizing a volunteer opportunity for my students at the Cannadelic Miami convention. Cannadelic has been partnered with the FIU Psychedelics Club in the past, so it was a natural decision to continue the partnership and include the students. I logged everyone's hours and even helped draft the paperwork with the Cannadelic team so that all volunteers would get FIU Honors College engagement credit. Additionally, students who attended the event got 2% extra credit within the course, and I made sure no student left the event without having properly completed their assignment.
Global Learning Capstone
Office of University Sustainability, FIU
While I've completed a lot of internships (Partnership for Public Service and Department of Energy among others) the work I am most proud of is what I completed for the Office of University Sustainability (OUS) here at FIU. At OUS, the research that I focused most heavily upon was how to connect the various environmental organizations on campus in a cohesive manner. I started in February 2020 and when confronted with the COVID-19 Pandemic, suddenly the need for connection become imminent if not vital. I worked tirelessly for over a year as the OUS "Sustainability Network Liasson"- where I focused nearly all of my efforts on further developing the FIU Sustainability Network. The network allowed us to get the leaders of each organization into one or two meetings per semester and properly talk, strategize, and coordinate, so they could reach maximum social impact. Part of my research was figuring out what clubs even existed, who was the correct point of contact, and keeping up with all the orgs to monitor any changes in leadership or mission. This was difficult, but by the time I left OUS, this dream had not only been accomplished, the Sustainability network had over 60 members. I was even lucky enough to facilitate a zoom meeting where nearly 25 members (over 40%!) attended.
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OUS changed my life. Genuinely. What I thought would be a measly Sustainability focused- Global Learning Capstone project gave me a significant leg up that I could never have dreamed of. OUS taught me how to be a leader, how to organize, and how to actualize my goals and vision. I would like to thank Connie Caldwell, who has provided numerous letters of rec over the years. Without Connie's help, I might not have become a Hamilton Scholar with FIU in DC. I would also like to thank Rolando Martinez and Bailey McTigue who were incredible bosses to a first time intern. Thank you.
Peace Corps Prep
Coursework
EVR 4272 Agroecology
EVR 4274 Sustainable Agriculture
EVR 4321 Sustainable Resource Development
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Intercultural Competance
ANT 3241- Myth, Ritual, Mysticism
MMC 3303- Global Media and Society
PAD 3800- Managing Global Cities
Foreign Language Skills
SPN 1130 Spanish 1
SPN 1131 Spanish 2
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I also was lucky enough to study Spanish in-depth in Samara, Costa Rica for 3 months. Every day I attended classes at the local language school, Interculture, and went home to my host family. My host family owned a local "soda" (diner) called La Perla or "the pearl". I'll forever be connected to the wonderful people of Samara, and miss them dearly. I came out of the experience semi- fluent, and try to practice my Spanish on a regular basis.
Hands on Experience
Tiny Farm
Working on Tiny Farm was definitely one of the strangest but coolest experiences of my academic career. I felt so honored to be trusted in the ways that I was. There, I learned how to grow crops such as swiss-chard, tomatoes, egg plant, cilantro, in a sustainable, fertilizer free way. I learned how to make and turn compost, the intricacies of agricultural small business practices, and the holistic nature/benefits of CSA's.
Professional Development
Peace Corps Campus Ambassador
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From August 2020 until April 2021 I had the privilege of being the FIU Peace Corps Campus Ambassador. I, alongside Peace Corps recruiter Taylor Majher, worked to educate and excite students at FIU about the Peace Corps and the many opportunities it provides. To do this, I gave multiple 5-10 minute presentations, the template of which was provided by the Peace Corps themselves.