SPRING QUARTER

CLASSES:

HONORS 345: Seattle’s “Color Line” and Mediterranean Imprints on the Pacific Northwest
HONORS 397: Peer Educator Seminar
JSIS 202: Cultural Interactions in an Interdependent World
LSJ 321: Human Rights Law

EXTRACURRICULARS:

Hall Council Director
Honors Peer Educator

International Studies!

In Spring, I officially declared the International Studies major, and was no longer a pre-major student. I began working through the intro courses required for the JSIS major, and felt as though I was in exactly the right place. I took an incredible course with Dr. Arzoo Osanloo, titled LSJ 321: Human Rights Law. This class was joint-listed with Anthropology, and because of that it provided a unique perspective on debates regarding universalism/cultural relativism in human rights law. It opened the door to questions I continue to consider as I finish college, such as, what are the major contradictions in human rights legal frameworks? How can we seek to resolve them? The attached assignment is one of the five short discussion papers we had to write for this course, all of which I genuinely enjoyed writing. This course involved readings philosophical texts foundational to contemporary thinking about human rights, and this assignment's discussion of The Age of Rights was one I enjoyed in particular. A theme throughout my time at UW has been that I especially enjoy classes taught by former lawyers. There are so many amazing LSJ faculty who used to practice law, and I think they provide a very unique perspective to the classroom.

Peer Educator Retreat

In Spring quarter, I took Honors 397, the peer educator seminar in which peer educators create their lesson plans for the Fall, and prepare to be able to teach a section of honors freshman in the fall. I had participated in similar leadership roles in the past, but Honors 397 was very unique in that it encouraged me to reflect on my growth as a student, and examine the role that educators play in cultivating a successful classroom environment. The highlight of the class was by far the weekend retreat we went on to Eatonville, Washington (shown in the photograph) where we spent time getting to know each other (and ourselves) in an absolutely gorgeous environment. A large part of my experience as a PE was been the privilege to get to know my fellow peer educators, who I continue to feel inspired by on a daily basis. I truly feel as though being a peer educator was one of the most important parts of the first half of college, as it gave me the opportunity not only to solidify a community within the honors program, but also to make connections with my amazing peers, and our instructor, Nadra.

Silly Spring

Spring in Seattle is absolutely unbeatable. From Cherry Blossom season to the sun (finally) coming out after winter, spring was a time of growth, and joy, and immersing myself in nature. In spring quarter, for the first time since moving to Seattle, I began to seek out nature trails, and hiking, and I feel as though this helped me to finally call Seattle my home. I spent many days during Spring Quarter exploring Discovery Park or basking in the sun on Alki Beach, and I think this is likely the reason I was able to stay sane while taking 17 credits. This photo in particular is from one of the many times I procrastinated homework by sitting in the quad on a picnic blanket with my friends. Being from the Midwest, I think that I am ten times more appreciative of how beautiful the PNW is, and I hope to always be able to take advantage of the gorgeous environment I go to school in.