I graduated from Fox Chapel Area High School in 2018 and am currently studying international relations and diplomacy at The Ohio State University. I am also very passionate about education access and education equality across both the United States and the world as a whole, and hope to one day get a masters in education. Outside of the classroom, I am very involved in social justice initiatives ranging from global education inequality to creating bridges of compassion and allyship between communities at home. In my free time, I enjoy art of all kinds (painting, photography, fashion, etc) and have just started an art collective for various social justice and equity initiatives!
Throughout my schooling, I have had my eyes opened to a variety of injustices that plague our education system. Ranging from interpersonal micro-aggressions, situational disadvantages, or systematic failures; educational injustices create not only achievement gaps between students, but lifelong disadvantages for those the system neglects. Micro-aggressions are commonplace in conversation, a deadly combination of ignorance and prejudice, they create an atmosphere clearly defined for a single type of student. Micro-aggressions and stereotypes aren’t limited just to the student body, but can often be found in curriculum and school rules too. Educational injustices also become highlighted in the disparity of school supplies, technology, and work environments that only some students have, but all are expected to. Without addressing these inequalities, the playing field is not equal from the start. Additionally, on a larger scale, systemic injustices such as standardized testing, gerrymandering, and student tracking lead to even larger barriers to education equity.
One day I hope to combine my passion of international diplomacy and relationship building with the field of education. Whether it be decreasing barriers to educational access that many marginalized communities around the world face, or bringing different cultures and viewpoints into a school in the United States, I hope to be able to combine my interests to empower a variety of communities.
One day I hope to see a world that recognizes education as the basis of our society, a driving force of sociopolitical change and economic freedom, but most importantly as a way to connect and empathize with others. I hope education is viewed as both a gift and an inherent human right.