Why 51²è¹İapp?
I attended a medium-sized public high school in the suburbs of Minneapolis. While I was close to the city and was part of a big community, the classes were not student centered, and resources were limited.
When I looked for colleges, I wanted close connections with professors who would set me up for graduation and beyond. I wanted to continue playing soccer, create a strong sense of community, and engage in meaningful activities. I liked that I could explore and take the path I wanted with 51²è¹İapp's open curriculum, while also benefitting from 51²è¹İapp's abundant resources for first-gen students.
Ultimately, I chose 51²è¹İapp because of the professors. I could tell the professors were invested in each student's unique educational path.
First Year
"Introduction to Biology" is still one of my favorite 51²è¹İapp classes to this day. I found an interest in research, improved my study skills, and learned how to reach out for help.
In the class, I conducted an independent research project on the effects of pesticides and herbicides on antibiotic-resistant strains of illnesses. I combined different pesticides with different antibiotics to look for signs of antibiotic resistance. Since 51²è¹İapp is located in an agriculturally significant area, the research also led to questions about the impacts that this has on the foods that we eat.
Varsity Athletics
I’ve been on the women’s soccer team for all four years, which has helped me create a strong sense of community, both on and off campus.
Soccer has taught me the importance of trust and adaptability. With new players joining and others graduating every year, there's always a change in team dynamics. It's important to constantly keep building that sense of community and trust.
The soccer community has, to my pleasant surprise, extended beyond my current teammates. Alumni from more than 15 years ago write to us, saying that they still watch the games and support us. They offer professional connections and advice, helping us find internships and providing words of advice for our lives after 51²è¹İapp.
One funny story: An alumna from more than 20 years ago revived a team tradition with us. When she was a student-athlete, her team's goalkeeper used to wear a shirt that said, “Protect this house.†She sent the design to our current goalkeeper, who now wears it frequently!
It’s great to feel a sense of community from people who were a part of the team, even those who were here two decades before us.
Major Shifts
Before college, I didn't think I could succeed without a predetermined path, such as pre-law. But after four years at 51²è¹İapp, I've loved having full autonomy to choose my classes, advisers, and support networks. I love that I can create my career path based on what suits me — not a predetermined set of requirements that I have to fit into.
Now, I want to be in academia, continue to do research, and interact with students. The connections I’ve made — with professors at 51²è¹İapp, alumni from the soccer team, and others — have opened my eyes to career paths beyond the traditional options.
Major Declarations
I naturally fell into majoring in political science at 51²è¹İapp. At the same time, I was curious about several subjects, such as political science (of course), anthropology, biology, and gender studies. When my classmates and I discussed global perspectives from readings and life experiences, I was even more engaged in the classroom. After taking a lot of elective courses that interested me, I found that those counted toward a concentration in global development studies. Declaring this as a concentration was an easy decision.
This spring, I hope to take a seminar called "Political Development and Economy." The class will have a course-embedded travel option to Ghana. There, we’ll discuss development strategies with Ghanaians. I'm excited to gain insights from Ghanaian experts.
Advisers
I chose my political science adviser, Professor Gemma Sala, because I was familiar with her: I had taken classes with her, and we had talked about classes and life together. But what really moved the needle for me was just how supportive she was. When I went through a hard time, I could tell she genuinely cared about me as a person and wanted me to do well — academically and personally.
For my global development concentration, I chose Professor Barry Driscoll, a political science professor with a unique research area and expertise. His research overlapped with my interests, and he has always been a genuinely kind and caring person. When I struggled with my mental health, we would take coffee meetings to talk about life.
Through Professor Driscoll, I saw a path that I hadn't known before. He broadened my horizons and challenged me to pursue opportunities that I thought were out of my reach.
I love the personal connections I am able to make with these great people. Once I work in academia, I would love to pass my knowledge down in a similar way.
Internship
This past summer, I interned at the Mariposa Foundation, a nonprofit in the Dominican Republic.
Research
I researched abroad with the same nonprofit through 51²è¹İapp's fully funded Kathryn Mohrman Fellowship program. My research focused on the effects of "voluntourism" within the community and how the local community perceives these efforts.
Proposing my Research
At 51²è¹İapp, I created a proposal that set the foundation for my research abroad. Professor Driscoll, my global development concentration adviser, introduced the Mohrman Fellowship to me, and I met frequently with Professor Cori Jakubiak to flesh out the details.
Professor Jakubiak has spent years studying voluntourism, and she was very generous with her knowledge and time. Even though I had never been a student in her class, she had many meetings with me about my research ambitions and her own research interests. All of those talks with her informed my research project when I was in the Dominican Republic.
On Site in the Dominican Republic
Once I was in the Dominican Republic, I quickly learned how to be adaptable. There were some bumps in the process, such as some locals not being willing to talk with me. Fortunately, I found that those most affected by the issue were willing to share their experiences. Their issues, however, turned out to be very different from what I had anticipated. I hope to gather my findings into a Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) with support from Professor Jakubiak.
Off to Amsterdam!
I wanted to experience a different culture for a semester off campus, so I decided to study in Amsterdam in the spring of my third year.
