Despite security concerns in the Middle East, a local resident
is traveling to Afghanistan to finish the requirements for a degree
in global studies.
Despite security concerns in the Middle East, a local resident is traveling to Afghanistan to finish the requirements for a degree in global studies.
Ignacio Velazquez, owner of The Vault restaurant, will spend two weeks in Afghanistan as part of his Senior Capstone at California State University, Monterey Bay.
Velazquez, 37, said he’s not afraid of going to the Middle East during the final stages of the war in Iraq.
“I’m not scared at all. I’ve done so much research on it. You find out that things you hear on the news are really isolated events,” Velazquez said. “I’ve been in this situation before and it’s never as bad as it’s made out to be.”
Velazquez, who staged an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, said he traveled through Yugoslavia when war broke out there in the mid-’90s.
After his trip, he will finalize his research paper, “Can Democracy Survive in Afghanistan?” and present it.
In the global studies program, students pick a country and study it for their Senior Capstone, which is a requirement for graduation at CSUMB. Velazquez will graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in May.
Velazquez said he’s been interested in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led war on terrorism. While there, he plans to interview students at the University of Kabul and government officials.
“I want to break it down and see. It’s kind of like the birth of a nation,” he said.
Velazquez, who also owns American Electric Services in Hollister, plans to get a master’s degree in business to complement his business side. He would also like to participate in Stanford University’s International Studies Program.
Although he didn’t go directly to college from high school, Velazquez said he has always been interested in international events. He attended Gavilan College for two years and is finishing one year at CSUMB, he said.
“I just got hooked on school. I couldn’t get enough of it. My dream was always to go back to school,” he said.
Some students travel abroad to research their Senior Capstone. One student is going to Iceland, Velazquez said.
Velazquez said the trip will cost about $3,000, all of which is coming out of his own pocket.
“That’s what our program (at CSUMB) is all about,” he said.
