Alumna from Facultad de Psicología and two-time participant of the Verano Puma Programme starts her master’s in London
Maya Rojas took her first Verano Puma a few months after starting her undergraduate degree at UNAM. On that year, UNAM Chicago organised a specialised English course for psychologists, and as a first year student at the Facultad de Psicología (Faculty of Psychology), she was immediately interested. Even though Maya was exposed to English from a young age, by reading, listening to music and watching films, it was at university that she knew that the strengthening of her language skills would be fundamental. In her words, English is the “common denominator in the generation and in the communication of knowledge.” Maya remembers that after participating in the programme organised by UNAM Chicago, she remained attentive to the offers of UNAM’s centres around the world.
This past summer (2018), Maya had already received her undergraduate degree in psychology, and looked for options to undertake her master’s in an English speaking country. In parallel, she also checked the call for applications for English courses organised by UNAM’s centres (Canada, Chicago, Los Angeles, among others). Maya wanted to have an immersive experience. Since many British universities were among her favourites to undertake her master’s, she decided to enrol in the Verano Puma programme organised by UNAM United Kingdom.
By doing so, Maya was part of the first cohort of students to take the programme in London and was very happy with the results. In her words:
“In the group there was a beautiful synergy, we all came from different backgrounds, schools and faculties.”
The English classes were the backbone of the programme, but the students also benefitted from London’s great offer in terms of museums, concerts and cultural events. They even watched several World Cup matches with an international crowd because the mega-event coincided with the course. Maya also mentioned that by being a city of convergence, London was a great destination because it allowed her to meet people from all over the world and have “a more broad understanding, at cultural, political and scientific level.”
Once the programme was over, Maya returned to Mexico, but in just a few weeks she was back in the United Kingdom to start her master’s at King’s College London (KCL). Despite the fact that Maya was accepted in several programmes, she chose KCL because of the broad offer and the prestige in the field of mental health. KCL has a specialised institute in psychiatry, psychology and neurosciences, one of the biggest in Europe.
Living and studying in London has been a challenge. Everyday life in another city and language, has been challenging, but it has also being part of a rich formative experience where learning has generated many personal and academic satisfaction.
We recommend that those of you that have an interest in strengthening your language skills in other languages to check UNAM’s programmes in Mexico and abroad. These course can contribute to your lifetime projects, such as in Maya’s case.
