Lorin Bucur in front of Machu Picchu, picture for student voices profile.

Lorin Bucur

Class Year

’26

Hometown

Berwyn, Ill.

Major(s)

International Political Economy and Chinese

Minor(s)

Economics, and Asian Studies

Lorin Bucur ’26 is able to explore her many interests at Carthage. In addition to majoring in international political economy and Chinese, she is a member of the Model United Nations, the Carthage Chorale, and the Carthachords. She also participated in the 24-Hour Musical production of “High School Musical” on campus.

A recipient of the Full Tuition Business Scholarship, Lorin looks forward to taking advantage of Carthage’s study abroad programs and plans to travel all four years she attends Carthage.

Learn about studying abroad

Apply now

“International political economy is an amazing major that isn’t offered in many other schools. It is for those students who wish to dive into international relations, politics, and even the business realm.”

Lorin Bucur, ’26

Favorite class

“My favorite class at Carthage so far has been Introduction to International Relations with Professor Jeffrey Roberg. Prof. Roberg also heads the Model UN, so having him in class helps build on my knowledge of the world and its many actors. I won’t lie, this class is incredibly challenging as it is all new subject content, but his humor and evident love for the topic give me the inspiration I need to complete the coursework. It is definitely a pleasure to be in his class.”

Golden opportunities

“I attended the Singapore J-Term study tour focusing on the biology and the history of Singapore with Professor Stephen Udry and Professor Andrea Henle. As someone who loves traveling, I wish to take advantage of the study tours that are open to everyone. With Carthage offering such a wide variety of study tour programs, I plan to travel abroad all four years I attend college.”

Internships or campus employment

“I have an on-campus job working for the Office of Marketing and Communications, which entails a lot of research into the Carthage community and its students. While I am not a marketing or communication major, I always love to learn more about the different facets of business as that may be my career path outside of college. Additionally, I cover the new School of Business and Economics, which allows me to network with the faculty for my international political economy (IPE) major, and seek out opportunities for me to get involved beyond the classroom.”

Career goal

“I would love to work for the U.S. Department of State in Foreign Affairs, preferably in one of the U.S.-China embassies. I’d also love to be an economic Foreign Service Officer or diplomat. Travel is one of my many passions, so I want to focus my future career in a sector where I could not only travel, but also engage heavily with the cultures and communities of the places I go.”

Advice for other students in your major?

“My advice for students is to never pare down your interests for fear of time constraints. I started at Carthage triple majoring and triple minoring because I was interested in so many things. If later on, you need to drop a major or minor, it’s better to have tried and explored your interests than to have restricted yourself.”

What would your 8-year-old self think of you now?

“My 8-year-old self was a nerd who always had her head in books — I am sure she’d be insanely surprised to see that I am pursuing a career outside of librarian studies. But she’d be happy to know that it was precisely because of how much I read that got me interested in my current education. Reading books based in different regions of the world, cultures, and languages led me to pursue an international career.”