I took a trip to the Farmington Valley American Muslim Center to observe Friday Prayers and talk with the Imam. It was great to see the service and learn more about Islam, the second most practiced religion in the world. Learning about different religions is key to becoming a good global citizen and I hope to go to more religious services to learn more and better understand the world.

At my school, Watkinson, we have a day dedicated to learning about different aspects of MLK's dream and his fight. This year I learned about his faith. We can't begin to understanding him without understanding his faith. I also went to a workshop about bias in technology where I got to see the bias all around us. Finally, I went to a workshop investigating MLK's non-violent approach to protesting which led to deep discussion and thought.

I got a chance to travel to New York to go to ADL's Never is Now conference which featured speakers such as David Schwimmer, Liz Cheney, and Christopher Wray. I went to sessions about conspiracy theories, Anti-Semitism, and the midterm elections, and got to hear from new perspectives and learn a bunch of new information. This conference was a great experience and I hope to go back next year.

The Global Studies Program took a field trip to MassMoCA where we had a chance to walk around the museum and observe the exhibits. My favorite was Marc Swanson's "Memorial to Ice at the Dead Deer Disco" which was about climate change as well as AIDS. Not only was it a beautiful exhibit, the topics explored were incredibly important. 

I was lucky enough to go to UCONN and see Timothy Snyder speak about the war in Ukraine. Learning about the fascist mindset that the Russian leaders have which allows them to justify their actions against the Ukrainian people was shicking but interesting. It was nice to hear Dr. Snyder's hopes that Ukraine will triumph against Russia if given the right tools.

As a dancer, it was an honor to see the Dance Theater of Harlem’s tour which included ballet to Stevie Wonder, a tribute to Hazel Scott, and the classic Pas De Deux from Le Corsaire. Through this performance, I learned about Hazel Scott's activism which ultimately led her to flee to Paris because of the Red Scare and Un-American list in the 1950's. 

I got to visit the 30 Americans exhibit and was immediately struck by Quanikah by Mickalene Thomas. I could see the different emotions portrayed through the collage of sparkly, colorful self portraits. It was a beautiful piece of art in a fascinating exhibit of art, history, and culture.