LEARNING STATEMENT

In my Intro to Law, Societies & Justice course, Professor Jonathan Beck asked the class, “What are ‘rights’, and how are they fulfilled?” Through the question presented by Professor Beck, I began to realize I could contextualize my lived experiences by exploring the legal framework that had manufactured them. Since the moment that question was posed to me during week one of my very first class at the University of Washington, I have sought to not only answer it for myself, but for others. Understanding human rights and how they are fulfilled has driven me to explore new continents and undertake a plethora of research projects with the goal of finding interdisciplinary and feasible solutions to institutional inequality. As I approach the final weeks of my undergraduate degree, I am confident that my understanding of how to affect tangible progress in our legal system has evolved significantly.  I hope to show, throughout the duration of this portfolio, that three themes emerge throughout my time at UW: Interdisciplinarity, Fieldwork, and pushing the bounds of my Comfort Zone. These are also core tenets of the Honors program, and have thus been important pillars of my undergraduate education. 

 

Learning about human rights theory in coursework, for example was an important part of my education, yet I did not fully grasp its importance until I applied that knowledge outside of the classroom. The Experiential Learning aspect of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program has been especially formative to my college experience. Having embarked on two study abroads throughout undergraduate, I have found it important to find hands on ways to apply themes from my coursework in new contexts. The summer after my sophomore year for example, I traveled to Peru on a program led by Professor Megan McCloskey, marking my first time visiting a country in the Global South. On one of our first days in Peru we visited a memorial museum called Lugar de la Memoria (Place of Memory). On the perimeter of the museum, the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were etched in the concrete. As a visitor, I read and was reminded of these internationally agreed upon standards; when I entered the museum, they were on my mind the entire time. When I saw an exhibit portraying indigenous people being forced by the state to dig their own grave, I reflected back on the perimeter of the building and naively thought, weren’t they supposed to have the right to life? As a student educated in the West and taught optimistically about international legal frameworks, my time in Peru forced me to grapple with how I could use a law degree to undo past institutional harm and work towards a better future. 

 

By combining degrees in International Studies and Law, Societies & Justice, I have sought out interdisciplinary ways to think about international law. By taking my emphasis on comparative law and human rights that I explored in the Jackson School and interpolating a major in LSJ, I deepened my understanding of the topics, allowing me to more robustly and effectively explore the intersection of law and human rights across cultural contexts. I have found, throughout undergrad, that I learn most effectively by doing, and I work best in a group of people with diverse perspectives. I have always felt trapped by stagnancy, and I have found that the way to combat that is by constantly pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and to grapple with what I think to be true.

 

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept”. These words from Angela Davis verbalize the mindset I have adopted as I prepare for the next stage of my life. Rather than become disillusioned when seeing firsthand, across international contexts, how the legal system fails people, I spent my time at UW immersing myself in discovering tangible ways to combat that inequality. Whether found in conversations I had with indigenous women in Peru, or with our law firm’s clients who are incarcerated in Seattle, I feel overwhelmingly hopeful that a more equitable future is in front of all of us. This portfolio is the culmination of my time as a UW Interdisciplinary Honors student, an experience that has exposed me to new frameworks of understanding the world and has given me the tools to be an unwavering, passionate, and empathetic leader. As I prepare to graduate and begin law school applications, I know that I will carry with me the lessons provided by the University of Washington in my legal career.