Citizenship Acts to Challenge Poverty (Honors 231) was another experience I will never forget. The class focused on the causes of poverty and homelessness. I participated in several research projects through that class that allowed me to visit Tent Cities and interview people experiencing homelessness. My time with them unveiled many other oppressive systems.
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For the first two years of my college career, I worked in the Center for the Science of Social Connection, a psychology lab that researches cross-racial relations to understand how we can develop greater empathy and genuine connections with each other. I worked as a research assistant, doing coding work. Through my time there, I spent time untangling the research and theory around race, particularly as it relates to microaggressions. I worked alongside BIPOC researchers and began to understand what our responsibilities are in recognizing privileges. Through that research, I unlearned what it meant to be ME. I am a complex set of privileges and identities, which change the way I perceive and interact with the world. I began to understand that it is my responsibility to know how my actions may impact others, and to prevent myself from ever doing such harm.
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Starting in Fall 2017, I became very involved in Special Olympics. I started out as a 'partner' for UW's Special Olympics flag football, cheerleading, soccer, and basketball teams, and then became an intern for Special Olympics Washington. I am currently a member of Special Olympics Washington's General Management Team for state games, in charge of Opening Ceremonies. Most people find Special Olympics to be inspiring, or 'cute', but I found it to be incredibly empowering. I became friends with people who were fundamentally 'different' from me, and yet soon learned that those differences meant very little. They showed me kindness, patience, and love. At our core, we are all much more similar than we are different, and sometimes all it takes is a rigorous round of Flag Football to show it.
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