For my religious event this year I went to Friday Prayers at the Farmington Valley American Muslim Center. I liked the sermon about the importance of mental health and how we were welcomed into the community. In my reflection, I read about finding community in religion and discussed that and how I find my own community as a non-religious person.

This year's NYC trip was to Doctors Without Borders and we stopped in the Theater District to see the musical, Suffs. It was amazing getting to tour the office and hear employees at MSF tell stories about their experiences working around the world. Suffs was a cool musical that told the story of the Suffragist movement---which I knew little of!

The ADL Never is Now conference is an event I enjoy going to because it is an opportunity for me to engage with and learn about people with different backgrounds than me. While this year's conference had a different tone given everything going on in the world, it was interesting interacting with other teenagers and hearing their opinions and ideas.

This year for Watkinson's MLK day I got to try my hand at something new! I was in a workshop about activism through art, and we each panted parts of a poster that had important parts of the Civil Rights Movement pictured. Even though I am not an artist it was nice to be able to contribute in this way. My other workshop discussed MLK's presence in Connecticut. I did not know that he lived in Connecticut so it was cool to make those connections with such an influential person.

The first official Global Studies trip was to the site of Woodstock at Bethel Woods. We walked around the museum and got to experience some of the historical aspects of the culturally influential festival. It was especially cool to see the field where the stage once was. We got to stand in the same place where some of music's greatest artists played! This field trip sparked a lot of interesting conversations about counter-culture in the US.

To kick off senior year, my parents and I went to Dia Beacon to see the contemporary art exhibits on display. I didn't enjoy the art as much as I hoped I would, which sparked interesting conversation between me and my family about what makes a piece of work, art. I did enjoy walking around the town and stopping into the shops around the main street. The scenic views of the river were also very beautiful.

Global Studies took a trip to New York City for a full day of learning, sightseeing, and more. We started the morning with a briefing at the United Nations where we discussed the Sustainable Development Goals. Then we went to see The Thanksgiving Play on Broadway which was incredible! We ended the day with some time to walk around the Upper West Side and explore the city. It was a great day and I learned so much!

As a member of both the Global Studies Program, and a student in the elective history class, 'The American Dream', we took a trip to Hartford to visit the Connecticut Supreme Court. We also got to ask Justice Mullins, a Watkinson alum, a bunch of questions about his experiences. What stuck out to me was when he explained the need to remove personal ideas and biases from work with the law because it can get really hard when emotions are involved.

The Global Studies Program got the chance to go to the Connecticut Forum to see Ronan Farrow, Brooke Gladstone, and Stephen Hayes discuss journalism, misinformation, and uncovering the truth. As someone considering journalism as a career, it was great hearing the perspectives of some of the best in the field. They discussed bias, the future of journalism, the importance of local news, and the role of capitalism. It was a great panel to be able to see.

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 which was a beautiful show of art. I was immediately struck by the collage, 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.