Portfolio
Check out what I've been working on here:
Professional Projects
Center for Sustainability Education
Internship, Dickinson College
Center for Sustainability Education
In the summer of 2015 and the 2015-2016 academic year, I interned at the Center for Sustainability Education. My main objectives were to expand Dickinson’s and CSE’s outreach to reignite each student’s passion for sustainability and advocate for a broader definition of sustainability on campus.
GREEN DEVIL CERTIFICATION
The Dickinson Green Devil Certification program is an educational self-assessment tool that helps empower all Dickinsonians to engage the world sustainably by thinking critically, reflecting on everyday choices, and advocating for change.
I spearheaded creation of the Green Devil Certification program in an effort to get more Dickinsonians (students, faculty, and staff) involved in campus sustainability efforts. The program aims to recognize leaders in sustainability on campus, as well as encourage more people to get involved. I also want the program to raise awareness of the broad definition of sustainability.
The program is an online, survey software-based questionnaire. Participants earn a score and are awarded a level based on that score. Green Devils then receive a placard and a sticker with the appropriate medal to identify them as leaders and spread awareness of the program. Green Devil Certification is not a competition, but a tool for self-reflection and growth.
I designed the program over the summer of 2015 and led its implementation during the 2015-2016 academic year.
ECO-REPS RELAUNCH
The Dickinson Eco-Reps program strives to create a community of leaders in sustainability who in turn work to empower others to make sustainable changes in their lives and in their communities through peer education, programming, and outreach. The program empowers Dickinsonians to represent and lead a community of their choice to become more sustainable and foster connections. Eco-Reps form a network of leaders that work together to create a sustainable campus.
In the summer of 2015, the Eco-Reps program at Dickinson College underwent a revamp process in order to address more up-to-date needs. Initially, the program only included representatives from residence halls. Now, Eco-Reps can choose to represent any community on campus, whether that be a residence hall, club, department, or building.
I led the process of relaunching the program by planning the new structure and by updating and redesigning
the program's manual.
The Dickinsonian
Staff Writer, College Newspaper
During my time at Dickinson, I wrote for the college newspaper. It was my goal to bring little-known yet high-impact information to the community. Writing for the paper also allowed me to use my love of writing toward developing a practical skill. Here are snapshots of my published articles.
CAMPUS WIFI ISSUES
A notice about the use of unauthorized internet routers and wireless printers on campus has revealed an ongoing disagreement about the quality of the college’s wifi system between students and administration. Students believe that the wifi provided is insufficient, while those in charge maintain that students’ usage of forbidden devices actually cause network interruption.
SCRABBLE FUNDRAISER
Alpha Phi Omega is planning a Scrabble fundraiser benefitting the Employment Skills Center (ESC). APO Service Chair Stephanie Mazur ’17 organized the events, which include several days of fundraising culminating in a Scrabble fundraiser on Sunday, Nov 8.
The Employment Skills Center is a non-profit agency located on Hanover Street and offers several adult education programs, including GED tutoring, adult literacy classes, English as a Second Language courses, and other employee skills, says the center’s website.
The Pennsylvania state budget impasse means the center has not received any funding since June 30. The lack of money has caused the center to cut classes, close on Mondays, remove two employees, and reduce all staff hours, says Brown. She said the center has even had to take out a line of credit with a bank to cover operations.
Brown says that “The Scrabble fundraiser. . . will allow the Employment Skills Center to add whatever funds are raised to our operations budget in order to continue our services to the residents of Cumberland County.”
LGBTQ 101 TRAINING
Dickinson’s Office of LGTBQ Services has launched a brand new online training that aims to educate the campus about the LGBTQ community.
The training, called LGBTQ 101, is available on Moodle after signing up with the Office of LGBTQ Services. Interim director of the office, Erica Gordon, said that the new program is important for the community because “. . . it provides participants with an important baseline of LGBTQ-related knowledge.”
LGBTQ 101 covers topics such as teaching basic LGBTQ terminology, exploring the sexual and gender binaries, examining privilege and forms of oppression, understanding pronouns, and learning some basic symbols of the LGBTQ community. The training, divided into four sections, asks participants to view and study four PowerPoint presentations and then take short three-to-five-question quizzes on Moodle.
Academic Projects
Nature, Womanhood, and Rebellion: An Ecofeminist Exploration of Diane di Prima and the Beat Generation
Thesis | English | Spring 2016
My thesis focuses on the Beat Generation poet Diane di Prima and explores the connections between gender and nature in her work. Using the lens of ecofeminism, which unites the concerns of environmentalism and feminism, I analyze the ways that nature functions in her writing to reveal conceptualizations of gender. By studying nature in di Prima's work, we can gather a more holistic understanding of gender at the mid-century. I argue that the natural world constitutes a realm of self-expression and empowerment for di Prima and other Beat women.
Loba by Diane di Prima
The American Frontier: Race and Gender Implications for American Exceptionalism
Capstone Paper | Political Science | Spring 2016
This paper was the capstone project for my Political Science senior seminar. I explore the idea of the frontier throughout American history. It is a broadly-accepted political science theory that the frontier is the source of American Exceptionalism. I challenge that notion by analyzing the way that the frontier interacts with race and gender in American society. I aim to demonstrate that studying land and the natural world can reveal social implications and hierarchies. Since the beginning of the colonies, the frontier has been a realm of white, male power. Therefore, the frontier has served to limit the participation of women and minorities in American Exceptionalism.
Environmental Issues Survey
Survey project | Political Science | Spring 2015
I enjoy learning about "normal people" in my political science major. I'm not one to study each president or learn each member of Congress. I would much rather understand what makes your everyday average American citizen tick. I took the course Public Opinion because it combined two major areas of interest: survey building and civic participation. The main project for the course was to design and implement a survey on campus. My group chose to focus our survey on environmental issues in the US and on campus. Click here to view our survey.
SOME RELEVANT COURSEWORK
American Political Development
Baird Honors Colloquium
Ecocriticism
Energy Justice: People, Politics, and the Environment
Eudora Welty: Fiction, Photography, and the Southern Experience – English Senior Seminar
Gender, Sport, and American Society
Introduction to Environmental Science: Energy, Waste, and Human Health
Media, Citizens, and Politics: A Comparative Perspective
Newspaper Journalism
Public Opinion
Other Projects
Alpha Phi Omega, Service Fraternity
I am a proud member of Dickinson's chapter of APO. The group works with several organizations in the Carlisle, PA community (where Dickinson is located), as well as serving the campus. We work with schools, homeless shelters, animal rescue groups, food pantries, conservancies, parks, and more! I truly enjoyed being able to give back to the communities which gave me so much during my time at Dickinson.
I also had the privilege of serving on the APO executive board for four semesters. It was wonderful to be involved with such an enthusiastic, friendly, and passionate group!
Dickinson College | Spring 2013-Spring 2016
Baird Sustainability Fellows
Dickinson College | Spring 2016
I was one of 12 seniors chosen to be part of the 2016 Baird Sustainability Colloquium at Dickinson College. The prestigious program brings together senior leaders in sustainability. Together, the fellows discuss the sustainability of campus, the community, and the world. This year, we completed grant writing projects. I wrote a grant application for the Mount Holly Springs town council to build a new park. I enjoyed getting to work with such distinguished and motivated peers, and having the opportunity to learn about several diverse facets of sustainability.
PHOTO GALLERY
I sometimes pretend that I am a photographer, even though I only use an iPhone. Here are some of my favorite pictures from my hometown, campus, and from my time in Europe, studying abroad at the University of Bologna, Italy.
View from Mt. Washington
