Rebekah Cuyler

As the daughter of a Colonel in the U.S. Army, I have traveled extensively throughout my childhood. I became fascinated by the different cultures, geography, and political climates of each place I visited: from Germany to Austria, Switzerland to France, and just about every region of the United States of America, including a visit to see the Liberty Bell, a tour of the White House, and a chance to see the U.S. Senate in session. While my father was stationed in Europe, I experienced two incidents that left a profound mark on me: the day we visited the Schloss park in Karlsruhe, Germany and the day the Officer’s Club across our street received a terrorist bomb threat. The Schloss park in Karlsruhe is beautiful. The gardens are a well-landscaped extension of the palace itself. Now a museum, this palace was once the ruler’s favorite vacation place, and Karlsruhe itself continues to be the seat of the two highest courts in Germany. Hearing the Germans explain these facts as my sisters and I sold homemade lemonade for 5 pfennigs a glass started a spark of interest that has not diminished. Also, living in the shadow of terrorist threats – always warned “Leave your car window rolled up – they could slip a bomb in there!” – makes a deep impression on a child. What are the elements that divide people, cause one group to fear another, and what can be done to provide less violent means of solving problems? From those questions grew my interest in learning more about the different political systems, how one political system compares to another, and why one type of government may work in one area and not in another.
These childhood experiences led to me pursuing a B.A. in Political Science. In pursuit of this degree, I received several encouraging recognitions: Academic Excellence in Government, History, Biology, and Spanish. On August 9, 2008, I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Texas. My favorite classes in my undergraduate career were in Comparative Politics with Dr. Reban, particularly a class on the European Union and one on Central Asia. Reban’s lectures were stunningly vivid; I almost felt like I was journeying with him through the political systems of each of these countries.
After my graduation, the Economics department at UNT was impressed with my performance in Economics and Calculus classes and encouraged me to enter their program, even granting me a position of research assistant for the department chair. Unfortunately, that semester I discovered I had severe celiac disease which led to several of my ribs breaking, forcing me to temporarily discontinue my education. Since then, through medical help, I have gotten this condition under control and have taken other course work and excelled. One positive realization that developed from this unfortunate circumstance is, although I loved Economics, my real passion lies in the field of my undergraduate degree, Political Science.
My sister, Kathleen Cuyler, currently works as an English professor at Coastal Bend College. I have seen her work and have assisted her in many of her classes as well as her other duties in research, proposal-writing, and advising. One of my sister’s coworkers is the Division Chair of Social Sciences at the college. Noting my work ethic and skill as a substitute instructor, tutor, and lab assistant at the college and my ability to engage and gain the respect of students, she voiced an interest in one day hiring me as a full-time Political Science instructor at the college. With this encouragement, I set the goal of pursuing a graduate career in Political Science with the intention of eventually teaching at the community college level. As a Political Science instructor, I will be able to share my passion and, perhaps, one day inspire a student to seek the solutions to the conflicts within our own society and between nations.