About the Author
The years before I enrolled in ISS I spent traveling and immersing myself in different cultures. In 2010 I moved to the Czech Republic and studied the Czech language while living with four different host families. In 2012 I traversed North-Western Europe on bike for two months. It was my first solo bike tour. In 2015 I took a break from ISS and hiked for two months from Savannah, Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana. At the core of every adventure was a yearning to better understand human nature and the world around me. I loved experiencing new things, but each trip brought about more questions about the larger global picture than answers. |
ISS helped me put the experiences I had abroad and at home in context. While in the Czech Republic I learned about life during Soviet rule. My host parents stood in solidarity in St. Wenceslas Square during the first days of the Velvet Revolution. They would tell stories to me about their lives growing up behind the iron curtain and how momentous it was to participate in the country’s first free election in 1989. Learning about modern revolutions and struggles for democracy in courses such as Failed States and Comparative Media Systems allowed me to more fully appreciate the struggles my host family endured in their battle against an oppressive state. My host families and I are able to hold fuller conversations about politics and governmental structures since ISS.
Back home in Seattle I became more involved with local politics over the course of the last year. In December 2015 the mayor announced a state of emergency concerning homelessness in Seattle. I became deeply involved in a student group, Tent City Collective, working to advocate on behalf of people living in Tent City 3. At first, it was difficult to articulate the complex web of reasons people become homeless to the general public. I slowly surmounted this issue during my time in ISS by exploring the topic from multiple angles. In the Portfolio Seminar course, ISS 355, I created an infographic detailing the rise of homeless in King County along with known contributing factors. During the second iteration of the course, I wrote a grant proposal to a organization making the case for funding for student-driven solutions to homelessness. By chipping away at a complex issue using a range of media and multiple disciplines, I was able to confidently go out into my community and be an homelessness advocate.
ISS has made me a more well-rounded person and more capable citizen. I am more engaged, both intellectually and physically, in political issues of inequality and oppression since enrolling. The courses I took have prepared me for a future of activism as a global citizen.
Back home in Seattle I became more involved with local politics over the course of the last year. In December 2015 the mayor announced a state of emergency concerning homelessness in Seattle. I became deeply involved in a student group, Tent City Collective, working to advocate on behalf of people living in Tent City 3. At first, it was difficult to articulate the complex web of reasons people become homeless to the general public. I slowly surmounted this issue during my time in ISS by exploring the topic from multiple angles. In the Portfolio Seminar course, ISS 355, I created an infographic detailing the rise of homeless in King County along with known contributing factors. During the second iteration of the course, I wrote a grant proposal to a organization making the case for funding for student-driven solutions to homelessness. By chipping away at a complex issue using a range of media and multiple disciplines, I was able to confidently go out into my community and be an homelessness advocate.
ISS has made me a more well-rounded person and more capable citizen. I am more engaged, both intellectually and physically, in political issues of inequality and oppression since enrolling. The courses I took have prepared me for a future of activism as a global citizen.