HUMANITIES STUDENT SPOTLIGHT | Adam Cook

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself!

A. Hello, my name is Adam Cook, and I am an International Studies and World Language and Culture student in my senior year at the University of Utah. I am from Farmington, Utah; I grew up a big Utah football fan because my parents met each other at the U and are proud Utah graduates. I chose to attend the University of Utah because it is a great institution with global reach that I knew would offer me an opportunity to succeed at a relatively affordable price. I started by applying and auditioning for a vocal performance degree at the U’s School of Music, but I quickly decided that I wanted to pursue international business and politics instead. 

Q. You attended the 2024 Oxford Consortium for Human Rights with the Honors College this summer, tell us what that was like?

A. The Oxford Consortium for Human Rights and Technology was a golden experience for me that changed many of my perspectives. I had applied for the consortium multiple times before I received the opportunity to attend. I first learned about the program from multiple academic advisors. The application is not extensive at all, so I really had to make sure to present myself in the best light possible in the brief personal statement essay. There were many memorable moments at Oxford, but I will highlight a couple: I enjoyed presenting about the potential future impacts of artificial intelligence on the labor force with our group at the end of the week; we heard many top professors and professionals that work with technology and AI, so I tried to wrap my mind around concepts like AI in nuclear warfare and deep brain stimulation to cure Parkinsons. It was also cool to feel like I was at Hogwarts while we ate our banquet dinner! The most surprising part of the experience for me was the great diversity present at Oxford and all of the brilliant minds that are crammed into one place!

Q. After the Oxford Consortium, you had an international internship planned. Tell us more about that!

A. After the Oxford Consortium, I flew to Milan and spent a week hostel hopping my way through Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, and finally Bari to arrive at my internship. I met a bunch of awesome people from all over the world and made fun memories exploring Italy with them. During this week, I also got to brush up on my ability to speak Italian so I could feel confident showing up at the office on the first day. I was invited to participate in a two-week Junior Operations internship at a company called Indeco. Indeco is an international manufacturer and distributor of demolition attachments to heavy equipment like hammers, crushers, shears, etc. They boast the widest range of such tools on the market. During the two weeks, I have conducted interviews with employees from different departments to document their standard operating procedures. I especially enjoyed touring the manufacturing facilities because I know very little about engineering or the technical skills necessary to create a world-class product. I have wanted to visit Italy for a long time, so I asked my contacts if they knew of any companies that would allow me to learn from them. Thankfully, someone introduced me to Indeco and we agreed on terms and conditions. I hope to use this new understanding of imports and exports inside the European Union and across the globe to further my career. 

Q. After your internship, you are traveling to do humanitarian work. Where are you traveling to and what type of work will you be doing?

A. I have been dialed into the Russian-speaking community in SLC since I returned from Moscow in 2022. In April 2024, I heard from one of my Ukrainian friends that one of my acquaintances had started a non-profit for Ukraine in the fall of 2022 that took regular trips to feed and clothe those affected by the war. I made some calls and immediately started to fundraise for the organization To Ukraine with Love because I believe in the cause and helping Ukrainians. I am excited to lead a little team of English teachers who will help children and adults in Kyiv improve their English-speaking skills. As a group, we are also helping to open a senior center that will take in many elderly individuals who have lost their homes to the war. 

Q. What are your plans after this summer?

A. I have two semesters left at the U of U, and I plan on making the most of them. In my remaining semesters, I will take more language courses, including Italian, Portuguese, and Chinese. I also want to participate in our Arabic debate program, and I will write my honors Thesis on the development of the executive branch of the Russian Federation’s government after the fall of the Soviet Union. I am trying to deepen my roots in what I already am familiar with while also learning about China because I am applying to the Schwarzman Scholars Global Affairs Master’s program in Beijing starting in the Fall of 2025. I will also apply for the CLS 2025 summer program for Chinese or Arabic (I haven’t decided yet), so hopefully, I will be in a foreign land during the summer doing an intensive language program before moving to Beijing in the fall for one year.  Whether I get accepted to any of these programs initially or not, I plan on returning to United States to complete a JD MBA. Honestly, I consider my plans very fluid, and I am willing to have a good adventure at any moment, so we will see what ends up happening. 

Q. How has studying the Humanities helped you in the work you did this summer and plan to do in the future?

A. Studying the humanities and languages has been essential for my internship and humanitarian work in Ukraine. Humanities help me keep an open mind with those who might not live life through the same moral lens I do, and the humanities have allowed me to get a degree that thoroughly explores my passion for learning languages. I may not be the most gifted language learner, but I love the connection you create with someone when you communicate with them in their native language. It is a plus that my degree path has allowed me the flexibility necessary also to explore business and politics, which I believe will play a large part in my life in the future.