Michael Murrieta

Mike has been a member of the Arizona International Community since the Fall of 1997. After spending a semester of his Sophomore year studying at AIC's partner institution, Universidad del Noroeste (UNO), in Sonora, Mexico, Mike elected to further improve his language and culture skills by studying for a semester in Spain. The following is an article wirtten about him prior to his departure.

In this age of e-news, e-commerce and e-conversation, people around the globe are finding that it is impractical-indeed, downright silly to ignore cultural differences.

Which explains why Michael Murrieta, a senior at Arizona International College, the fledgling educa­tional institution growing up under the protective wing of the University of Arizona, will spend this year's spring semester in Spain.

His AIC education opened his eyes to the world, sparked a need to learn more about other cultures, and "changed my life." The 28-year-old had doggedly pursued a college edu­cation, attending Pima Community College and Cochise College before discovering AIC, which he describes as "the perfect fit for me.

"The one-on-one contact with professors really helped. They've all been mentors for me. The ability to talk with them day after day has been such a help."

AIC awakened in Murrieta an inter-national awareness by giving him the chance to travel and spend time in Mexico and China, turning him into a "cultural learner." When he leaves for Spain in January, he will be continuing "this pro­cess of cross-cultural adaptation" that he loves.

"In my opinion," he wrote in a presentation to UAHA's executive board, "studying abroad is espe­cially valuable to a student at both the college and secondary levels. It requires intellectual discipline devotion to the tasks of learning another culture, developing relationships with people you meet, com­municating effectively and adapting to the environ­ment.

"Studying abroad has brought nothing but posi­tive changes in my life. Before, I considered myself only a citizen of the United States, but now 1 am more aware of the world around me." 

Murrieta's trip to Spain won't be a simple visit, however. He has a "capstone" project on spectator violence at sporting events to complete for his bachelor's degree in Latin American Literature and Culture. His plan is to interview players, coaches and management to study the phenomenon of crowd disorder in Europe.  "The data would be authentic because it would be directly from those involved in European soccer," he said.

He'll also be taking courses in Madrid, Saiamanca and El Puerto De Maria in Spain.  That will help him increase his fluency in Spanish and give him the chance to visit museums and historical sites and meet Spaniards in social situations.  When he completes his semester in Spain, he'll return to Tucson and will go on to law school.  Eventually, he plans to go into sports management and he believes all his experiences will prove invaluable.

Murrieta, a graduate of Marana High School, credits his parents for the fact that he reached this point in his life. While no one in his family ever attended college, college has al­ways been his goal. "My parents have worked so hard," he explained. "I've seen how much they sacrificed to give to me. It's the only thing I can do to give back to them, to graduate and finish."

More important, his parents gave him pride and self-confidence. "You can do whatever you want to do," they told him. "Never give up. Be proud of who you are, that you are a Murrieta."

Those weren't just words. As he grew up, he watched his parents-dad Robert and mom Carmen-work for him and his younger brother Jesus, now a senior at Marana High. His mother is employed in the Marana school system, while his father works at the Arizona Portland Cement Co. He also saw how his father gave his time to officiate at school sporting events, eventually honing his skill to become a Pac-10 baseball umpire.

With that kind of example, pride and ambition, confidence and focus were more than words for Murrieta. They became a way of life. Murrieta will be videotaping his visit to Spain and keeping a jour­nal, preparatory to doing some TV segments about his experiences for Telemundo in Tucson when he gets back. We'll let you know when they will be aired.