Hometown: North Spokane, WA
Major: Theology, Women and Gender Studies Concentration
Fun Fact: I love Spaghetti Westerns, which are movies of the Western genre produced by Italian film companies, filmed in Italy, for mostly American audiences. In that vein, the animated Western film, Rango, (yes, the one where Johnny Depp is a chameleon), is one of my favorite movies.
Favorite Honors Class: Though I loved being able to spend a month in L.A. for the Domain of the Arts class, I have thoroughly enjoyed the HN-300 Community Research/Project class as a way to be civically engaged and connect with the broader Spokane community. In the class, Gabe Meek and I have been able to be part of a community discussion on how we can build communal and relational power with the West Central neighborhood to advocate alongside those who face housing injustices and live without secure housing. Civic engagement: it’s the jam!
Favorite Experiences: Seeing Sam Emerson (who is 5) dance with hip-hop street performers in Los Angeles is just about the most wholesome thing in this world. Also, having conversations about Bert Emerson on the Los Angeles rail system about how genres of literature change over time and how art, always being produced, presented/performed, and curated in a social context, is tied to questions of political justice, social ethics, and public discourse- as well as beauty and transcendence! I just remember at one point during that month, Bert just said, “the more I talk with you, the less you sound like a Theology Major.”
That compliment, as a Theology Major, is a highlight of my college career.
Value of the Honors Program: Personally, the Honors program expanded my horizons not so much in terms of academic interest, but in personal goal-making. Growing up in Spokane and doing college in Spokane, I was never embedded with the idea that in my achievements I had to be the best. More accurately, I was content with believing that the best opportunities probably aren’t there for me. My responsibilities and duties: produce my best work and challenge myself, but not necessarily seek the best publisher, the highest prize, the best internship or job opportunity, or what have you. That was just not in the realm of possibility or vision in my life. And I think the Honors Program helped me ask, “What opportunities actually open up when I give my best work, and how can I be denigrating and limiting myself through a lack of vision? How can ambition be a place where self-honesty is produced, not just vainglory?” Anybody can be academically-inclined and have schooling come easy through dedication and practice, but the Honors Program can take those people who are naturally successful and have them ask, maybe for the first time, “What do you actually want in life? What brings you joy?”
