Hampshire College

Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Entered Hampshire: Fall 2006
Areas of academic interest: educational policy, psychology, politics, philosophy 
Division II Title: Global Education with a focus in alternative education stuctures and cognitive neuroscience

I chose Hampshire because I wanted a school that would give me the freedom to pursue what I wanted. My passions do not fit into a pre-packaged major, and there was no way that I was going to just drop something I loved. Here I can incorporate all of my interests.

The classroom setting at Hampshire is definitely different than most other liberal arts colleges. The quality of class is dependent on the participation of the students and their willingness to openly exchange ideas with each other. The teacher serves as a facilitator and guide, as opposed to being the authority of all knowledge.

I have been an avid rock climber since I was in elementary school. I live in a mod with my best friend, where we are currently working on the ideal college vegetarian cookbook. Our friends serve as the recipe judges. I spend as much time as I can outside. I recently tried ice-climbing and it was such a thrill! I was born and raised in Southern California so the novelty of snow, temperatures in the teens, and freezing rain has definitetly not worn off.

In my first year, I took a wide range of courses: Hatha Yoga, Science and Religion, Creative Electronics, International Education, and Contemporary Issues in Modern Nutrition. Now as a Division II, I am trying to integrate my classroom knowledge with the reality of education in different parts of the world. I plan on spending a semester abroad interning in an alternative school in northern Ghana. 

All humans are natural learners. Our brains are wired that way. Now my goal is to help create a universal system that can provide the opportunity for every child to reach his/her full potential. I am constantly excited by my class work because I can see how these ideas directly affect lives. What I am learning has changed my perspective about the world, and so I know my college experience will affect my future.