Learning Statement

My intention is for this portfolio to honor the branches of my college journey that got pruned away each year; the activities, courses, and interests that aren’t listed on my current resume or visible in my day-to-day life, but were still important paths for me to explore and helped me solidify my current interests. 
“Overwhelmed” was my word to summarize how I felt much of my freshman year. While this adjective usually takes a negative connotation, having only ever attended small schools before UW, I found that overwhelm combined with enthusiasm made for a favorable experience: so many RSOs! So many people! Literally endless permutations of courses I could take over my academic career! A campus that, four years later, I sometimes still need Google Maps to navigate! Throughout the compilation of this portfolio, it’s been interesting to retrospectively watch myself narrow my focus and channel this enthusiastic overwhelm into a stronger sense of direction. Writing for The Daily piqued my interest in mental health journalism, which gave me the opportunity to co-host Wellness Weekly, a podcast on student mental health. Introductory political science courses on international relations motivated me to take the full intro JSIS series, which led to a major in International Studies on the Human Rights track. Being a participant in Unite UW inspired me to apply to the facilitator and Workshop Lead roles, which developed my interest in event planning and mentorship, which gave me the skills to apply to my current Resident Advisor job. An Interdisciplinary Honors class on LGBTI rights shaped my College Honors thesis topic. 
I hope this website allows me to remember my undergraduate career long after I’ve graduated, as well as provides a means for me to reflect, now, on how I’ve changed (or stayed the same) throughout these four years. Especially for students who are considering a possible major in a non-STEM field, I also hope that this portfolio serves as an example of why the humanities and social sciences are important and worthwhile to study. In creating this portfolio, I wanted to archive the good and the bad, the memorable and the mundane, and the triumphs and the challenges. I hope that, looking back, I feel as though I have a thorough compilation and honest anecdotes of my college experience.