Artifacts
Visual Representations of Learning, Experience & Passion
Photograpy
Travel was always elusive and scary to me, as if only a certain type of person could be alone in a new place--and I most certainly did not fit that archetype. But, I had such a desire to experience the disorientation of leaving my hometown for the first time. I wanted to experience beauty, alone, and immerse myself in it wholeheartedly. I wanted to be uncomfortable. I wanted to be humbled by art and culture and meet incredible people. So, I applied to an exchange program in Lyon, and quickly all of those elusive thoughts became realities. Documenting my travels was a chance for me to bring back something tangible from my experiences. Below are photos of my experiences from my four months in France. They are artifacts from the quarter I spent learning to enjoy the little things, like the beauty of a ceiling.
Design
I held leadership positions in my fraternity, Delta Lambda Phi, since I first became involved my freshman year. The fraternity's mission was simple: increase connection between members of the gay community by fostering brotherhood and making our presence known. Most of my positions centered around the skills I had already developed, such as event planning and leadership development. My junior year, I was elected Public Relations chair, and was tasked with designing all advertisements, digital & print media for recruitment. I had no relevant experience with design, but held on to the value of the organization. I designed a recruitment campaign around the idea of "Come As You Are." The design shown below was my original work, and all of the watercolor effects are individually-placed. It was an incredible experience in technical skills, and I still use the experience I gained from my year as Public Relations Chair.
Theoretical Writing
I've always been a voracious reader. A good book, or reading for a class could energize me, as powerful sentences nudged me to consider new perspectives. Writing was also something that fascinated me-- I grew up watching my mother articulate argumentative points with ease using words as her only toolkit. But, writing intimidated me immensely, specifically theoretical writing. The two philosophy classes in CEP were my first experiences with theoretical writing, as both required final papers. The Philosophy of Ethics final project was very daunting, as it was looking at my capstone through an ethical lens. But, I was determined to delve into the craziness that is constructing a theoretical argument. I immensely enjoyed the process of analyzing Kant's ethics, relating it to my case study, and experiencing the magical iteration of ideas that stemmed from it. This paper was one of the most poignant examples of experiential learning while I was at UW.