Hello! I'm graduating from the Honors program at the University of Washington, where I have majored in Law, Societies and Justice and minored in Environmental Science and Resource Management. This site is a record of my studies and adventures at UW and beyond.
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Every January, my boss picks a word that she tries to channel through her actions. Last year, her word was “let,” and she spent the year trying to figure out its meaning in relation to her life. As I tiptoe closer to graduation, I’ve found myself reflecting on which words can best encapsulate my time at UW. I feel like both my undergraduate experiences and future aspirations can be summed up through two words: “grace” and “send”.
First: send. “Send it” is a phrase used by skiers and climbers like myself. Simply put, this means to just do it: say yes to something, don’t think about it, have confidence…. just send it! One of my goals coming into college was to take risks and “put myself out there”. And in a lot of ways, I think I’ve succeeded in my time at UW. As a freshman with no experience, I applied for a Carlson Center internship at NARAL Pro-Choice Washington (and failed). I took a job at a lingerie boutique because I thought that helping women find bras they liked would empower them. I studied abroad in Berlin to engage with global issues both in Seattle and abroad. I applied to a tutoring position at the Odegaard Writing and Research Center and have worked there since my sophomore year. The same year, I took a quarter off to intern full-time for a senator in Olympia, and I was so enthusiastic that I got promoted to a higher position and ended up having an intern of my own! I wrote a thirty-page research paper on a juvenile justice reform bill (sponsored by my senator) that ended up winning a Library Research Award. In my third year, I’ve taken a leadership position at the Writing Center and am now in charge of a support program for multilingual writers. I joined UW’s Climbing Team. I picked up a minor in Environmental Science and Resource Management after taking an environmental studies backpacking class. I want to continue putting myself out there for cool opportunities! By sending it, I aim to push and humble myself.
Second: grace. I came into college with very high expectations for myself. Sometimes I have been able to live up to my self-imposed goals; other times I have not. I envisioned my path looking something like “four years of college, double major, go to law school immediately after, become a lawyer”. Instead, my path includes three years of college, a last-minute environmental science minor, and no clear path ahead in my immediate post-undergrad years (but tons of ideas). I have learned to give myself room to grow and change. For example, I envisioned myself focusing on criminal justice reform (or abolition) professionally, but lately I’ve been finding my interests gravitating more towards climate justice. Right now I’m okay with that. I have learned to give myself grace for turning in something late, or something that’s not completely up to my standards. I’ve learned that it’s okay to let go of opportunities if I no longer find them to be fulfilling. For instance, I worked at a Mexican restaurant during the summer after my first year, and I said “no” when I was invited back the following summer: a hard task for me. Through my undergraduate career I’ve begun to understand that I’m still changing, and that’s okay. As I near the end of my undergraduate career, I hope I continue embracing change and practicing honest self-love. In other words, I hope to continue giving myself grace.
First: send. “Send it” is a phrase used by skiers and climbers like myself. Simply put, this means to just do it: say yes to something, don’t think about it, have confidence…. just send it! One of my goals coming into college was to take risks and “put myself out there”. And in a lot of ways, I think I’ve succeeded in my time at UW. As a freshman with no experience, I applied for a Carlson Center internship at NARAL Pro-Choice Washington (and failed). I took a job at a lingerie boutique because I thought that helping women find bras they liked would empower them. I studied abroad in Berlin to engage with global issues both in Seattle and abroad. I applied to a tutoring position at the Odegaard Writing and Research Center and have worked there since my sophomore year. The same year, I took a quarter off to intern full-time for a senator in Olympia, and I was so enthusiastic that I got promoted to a higher position and ended up having an intern of my own! I wrote a thirty-page research paper on a juvenile justice reform bill (sponsored by my senator) that ended up winning a Library Research Award. In my third year, I’ve taken a leadership position at the Writing Center and am now in charge of a support program for multilingual writers. I joined UW’s Climbing Team. I picked up a minor in Environmental Science and Resource Management after taking an environmental studies backpacking class. I want to continue putting myself out there for cool opportunities! By sending it, I aim to push and humble myself.
Second: grace. I came into college with very high expectations for myself. Sometimes I have been able to live up to my self-imposed goals; other times I have not. I envisioned my path looking something like “four years of college, double major, go to law school immediately after, become a lawyer”. Instead, my path includes three years of college, a last-minute environmental science minor, and no clear path ahead in my immediate post-undergrad years (but tons of ideas). I have learned to give myself room to grow and change. For example, I envisioned myself focusing on criminal justice reform (or abolition) professionally, but lately I’ve been finding my interests gravitating more towards climate justice. Right now I’m okay with that. I have learned to give myself grace for turning in something late, or something that’s not completely up to my standards. I’ve learned that it’s okay to let go of opportunities if I no longer find them to be fulfilling. For instance, I worked at a Mexican restaurant during the summer after my first year, and I said “no” when I was invited back the following summer: a hard task for me. Through my undergraduate career I’ve begun to understand that I’m still changing, and that’s okay. As I near the end of my undergraduate career, I hope I continue embracing change and practicing honest self-love. In other words, I hope to continue giving myself grace.