How are you involved with the Jandon Center?

I am involved with the Jandon Center through the Community Engagement and Social Change Concentration, which I joined in my second semester at Smith (sophomore spring). My focus is on social justice education.

What have you noticed about your community? What is working/not working?

I have noticed that my community at Smith is passionate about using our knowledge and resources to make change. But this can’t happen in isolation—I think Smithies can be most effective in making positive community change when we are conscious of and work with our surroundings. We don’t always have all the answers individually, and it works best to draw from and listen to the people in our community and to have some humility about every project that we go into.

Who/what inspires you? Or who/what do you think we should know more about?

I am really inspired by creative organizations, like the Baltimore Algebra Project, that mobilize young people for social change. To learn more, check out the amazing book Educating for Insurgency by Jay Gillen.

What’s one thing you wish people knew about you? Or what’s a fun fact about yourself?

Some of my favorite memories are as a student and as an instructor in outdoor education programs. I once went on a monthlong expedition in Big Bend National Park in Texas, where I didn’t get to shower once.

“We don’t always have all the answers individually, and it works best to draw from and listen to the people in our community and to have some humility about every project that we go into.”