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Meet Our Scholars – Miranda Isaaca

Written by Valerie Lick

“I kind of knew that I was coming to UT from day one,”says Miranda Isaaca, a second-generation Vol.

Miranda, who is scheduled to graduate in 2018, is a Public Administration major with a minor in Italian. She’s very passionate about politics, which can be seen from her involvement with SGA. As a member of the Government Affairs Committee, she’s getting some experience with the field. “We call a lot of legislators!” she laughs. Miranda isn’t just involved on UT’s campus; she’s a volunteer leader at Bearden High School.

Italian and Public Administration don’t have a whole lot in common. But, Miranda notes, Italy’s politics are very complicated and interesting. She’s certainly got enough first-hand experience – last summer, she spent six weeks studying abroad in Italy. She also spent time in Switzerland on the same trip, staying with her aunt and uncle. “It’s definitely one of the best things I’ve done in college.”

Another favorite experience of Miranda’s is just getting involved on campus, and meeting people who share her interests. “One of the best things was… meeting people, like in SGA, who just genuinely care about the people they represent,” she says. SGA won’t be her only first-hand experience with politics. She’s applying for several summer internships with local and not-so-local elected officials. As a member of both the CHP and the Baker’s Scholars program, Miranda is starting her thesis – an examination of youth unemployment in Italy, and how it’s been affected by policy. She’s proud to be taking on such a complicated project. “It’s exciting but also terrifying!” she laughs.

Miranda’s glad to have been with the Chancellor’s Honors Program because of its effect on her academics. Striving for a holistic education, she found that it enabled her to take some classes that the everyday student couldn’t. “It’s more than what happens in the classroom, and [honors] has given me that.”