10,000 Hours - I know I want to make the world a better place, but how?
Academics
Sociology (major)
Extracurriculars
Environmental Studies (minor)
Through my work in Hillel and other Jewish organizations, I learned that Jewish involvement is actually really important to me and must be a part of my life going forward. My engagement in Jewish community showed me the importance of communal support, collective spirituality, and music.
Mentors
Jason Hamilton taught me the importance of being connected to the natural world and how healing that process can be. He's shown me that, both inside the woods and out, it's not enough to just survive, you must thrive.
Lauren Goldberg taught me to lead with love in all the work that I do. She saw a potential for leadership in me when I didn't see it in myself and her kindness showed me that I have something special and important to offer people through my music that I can't give up on.
Andrew Thompson has made me completely rework how I think about society, social movements, and myself. Because of his classes and mentorship, I have been able to clarify my priorities and values when it comes to making future social change.
ICC Courses
Honors Program (minor)
Environmental Sentinels: This class really solidified my love of being out in the natural world. I realized that the way I want to put my theoretical sociological work into reality is through outdoor education and environmental justice. I learned that we are not separate from the natural world, instead we are part of it. There are ways for human beings take from the natural world without destroying it. We have the potential to live in tune with nature's rhythm instead of in opposition to her.
Social Movements: This class made me realize just how bound up my life is in societal structures. I saw that I don't know who I am without the structures that bind me. I live so much of my life negotiating my relationship to the norm that I don't even know who I am without those restrictions. Through this class, I discovered that it is important to me to dream outside of the expectations that those in power create. It is impossible to create the world we want to live in without first imagining what that world could look like.
21st Century Conversations on Race: This class helped clarify a lot of my questions on how I wanted to create social change. I knew the general framework, but this helped me realize that I need to lead with love and understanding. The most radical person in the room is not the one with the craziest ideas, but the one most able to get others on board with their vision.
Thrivable Food Systems: This class combined hard biology and sociological analysis to create a sense of what it means to work towards a thrivable food system. I was able to learn from many other people in the field that I want to go into, which was really exciting. From this class, I've realized that a thrivable system is about relationships, about many different parts coming together to create something beautiful and new.
Intro to Gardening and Permaculture: This class marked a key shift in the way I thought about the natural world. I began to realize how important it was to me to stick my hands in the dirt every once in a while and how connecting with the natural world is a key part of maintaining a healthy mind, body, and soul.
Intro to Sociology: I took this class my first semester and it made me re-fall in love with learning. I began to reexamine all that I thought I knew, realizing that my individual life was inextricably tied up in societal systems and institutions. It set me down a path of confusion and discovery that I continue on now.
Seminar on Women and Fairy Tales: This course rekindled my love of writing. It made me see that I must always have a bit of childish creativity present in my life and that I can come back to that energy to make sense of times of difficulty.
Throughout college, I spent a significant amount of time engaging in community organizing efforts including, but not limited to, Not Another Bite (a campaign to get rid of Sodexo), the Poor People's Campaign, and IC Students for Labor Action. Through this work, I learned the importance of centering justice and equity in all that I do. I was able to work with such a diverse group of people and I will always be grateful for and inspired by those experiences.