she/her/hers
Transformative Honors Courses
Research Seminar: Social And Population Geography
Our class had discussions about urban politics, critical poverty theory, and the economic and political structures that create poverty and privilege. I asked questions about how the injustices of difference manifest themselves in the built environment and the private and public places we interact with each day. I took this course as a sophomore, and it was my first time taking a graduate level course (I am taking a new iteration of this course in Spring 2022!) I was nervous to be in a classroom setting with graduate students, but everyone helped me see that I still had valuable insights and a necessary perspective to add to the conversation. I learned so much from the graduate students about how they conduct their research and what inspires them, and it has made me more excited to think about my own potential research interests.
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Click the slide to the right to view my final reflective presentation.
My Big Questions
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Are identities and positionalities constructed and perpetuated in physical spaces? How and why?
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Are physical environments shaped based on identities and positionalities that are understood to be present? How and why?
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How must we imagine our collective futures to inspire best practices for asset-based community engagement and planning?
Citizenship Acts to Challenge Poverty
Over the course of this quarter our class has been engaged in a project of public and personal re-education about the ways in which we speak, engage, and think about homelessness in the United States. We’ve been slowly unlearning and deconstructing what is fed to us about the types of people and scenarios that allow people to experience homelessness while simultaneously partnering with Real Change News to construct the Portraits for Change exhibit which promotes the project of public re-education and cultural disruption.
The UW Honors program’s focus on interdisciplinary learning has meant that I have been able to connect my classroom learning and conversations to experiences and ways of thinking outside the classroom. Our class’ opportunity to partner with The Portrait Project has given me a tangible example of the transformative work visual poverty politics does to push uncomfortable questions to the forefront of public discourse. One of my favorite parts of putting on this exhibit was actually reading each personal story paired with their bio and watching other people within and outside the UW community reading each story and learning about people at the individual level.
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The portrait on the left is Real Change vendor Addis Michael Junior. Real Change amplifies the voices of those experiencing homelessness and those doing tangible on-the-ground work surrounding houslessness.
Black Political Consciousness in Germany and the United States
In this class we've learned about the theory of the Black diaspora, questions of racial identity and the constructs of European nationalism, the concept of Black Europe, and the role post-WWII Germany played in defining and shaping the Black identity in Germany. I've been exposed to new ways of thinking and reading, and as someone who doesn't identify as Black or European it has been interesting to think about how the course content relates to ideas of race, politics, and culture in the United States.
The piece of work I've attached my final research paper. We could formulate any research question based on sources we've read and discussions we've had. I decided to analyze the important and social constructions of a personal narrative and the power dynamics that are present when narratives are written. I am really proud of my response paper because it took me quite a while to clarify my own perspectives and analysis.before I've fully fleshed out my thinking. I have also included all of my notes at the end of the document as a reminder to myself that ideas and theories do not just come out of thin air, but rather require lots of thinking and critiquing throughout the process.
Prison Logic and Abolition Futures
This honors class focused on mass incarceration in the US and the intersection of social control, power relations, cultural politics, resistance, and hope. Our first writing assignment was one of four opportunities to practice our analytical writing skills. I had a hard time formulating clear thoughts and perspectives on the content that week, and as a result I did not produce my best written work. I sought out the help I needed, and receiving extremely detailed and helpful comments from our professor and meeting with him in office hours gave me the confidence I needed to go into the second writing assignment more prepared
Honors 100
Honors 100 was a great introduction to the Honors program and finding my footing on campus. This course inspired me to become a Peer Educator later on so that I could help the next cohort of Honors students find their community and take ownership over their academic paths as well.
iSchool-Honors Netherlands Study Abroad Program Blog
Summer 2019
Seemingly intractable problems like affordable housing, consumer waste, and urban sprawl are problems that will only be solved when people from different backgrounds and points of view come together, unafraid to challenge one another, for the common good. My experience traveling with peers and professors in Amsterdam and Delft exposed me to new ways of thinking about what innovation looks like in the public sector and observing how different stakeholders must interact to affect change. Â
This experience has actually defined my current CEP capstone research question: How do community museums center source communities during the co-creation process to increase representation within and ownership over their exhibits? Critical to my research are the relationships with curators at the Wing Luke Museum, the Highline Heritage Museum, and Burke Museum. I hope my work will be mutually beneficial for all stakeholders in this process. There is no better way to cap my UW career than giving back to community institutions in a city that has shaped me so profoundly.
Study Abroad Photo Journal
Honors PR & Communication Intern
I can think of no better way to round out my experience as an Honors student than giving back to the community by working on the 60th Anniversary celebration! The main goals of my work are to...
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Reconnect people to Honors and one another while offering them the opportunity to reflect on their experience and potential growth through the program.
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Build collateral that demonstrates the breadth and depth of program participants
This timeline is one element of the work I am doing this year, connecting with alumni and community members to create a digital archive of people's experiences in the program over the past 60 years. I've had the chance to do web design, targeted outreach, event planning, and ethnographic research.