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Student Achievements
‘A Woman’s Place: Reflections on the Political Thought of Rousseau and Wollstonecraft’
In this paper, I explored the writings of Rousseau and Wollstonecraft with regard to gender relations, education, and the treatment of women in society. I began by explicating Rousseau’s view on gender in the context of his broader philosophical work, and then introduced and analyzed Wollstonecraft’s powerful critique of Rousseau’s position. Next, I highlighted the flaws with Wollstonecraft’s emphasis on gender neutrality in the social sphere, and offered a more charitable reading of Rousseau. I concluded with the suggestion that Rousseau’s contributions to the study of individualism and equality may help contemporary feminists in their pursuit of justice in both the private and public spheres.
presenter, Northern New England Philosophical Association 2015
I worked last summer for Cornerstone, a multiethnic, ensemble-based theater company in Los Angeles that creates new plays with and about local communities. When my internship began, the theatre had a new play in production, an adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest. My task was to gauge whether the play helped underrepresented groups in the community have a voice and if it was an effective way to educate people about local issues. I contacted people on the phone who had acted in the play, and tried to measure our success in accomplishing those goals and how we might better achieve them in the future via theatre.
Pforzheimer Internship in the Humanities, Cornerstone Theater
This summer I worked for the Utah Symphony || Utah Opera as their Development Intern for their Deer Valley Summer Music Festival. In this position, I got to see what goes into running a non-profit organization and a music festival. The internship was extremely exciting and I met a lot of really wonderful donors throughout the summer. I also had the chance to meet a lot of the music artists that performed. This internship gave me a behind the scenes look at music administration and as a music minor, I really appreciated that.
Two months after graduating from Wellesley, I began a year-long program as a Junior Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a prominent global affairs think tank in Washington DC. Thanks to the Russian Department's new internship program, I was able to spend the two months before my fellowship began working as an intern at the Carnegie Moscow Center, which was great preparation for my time in Washington. My time in Moscow allowed me to get familiar with Carnegie as an organization and to get to know my Russian colleagues, who I've continued to work with since beginning my fellowship. As a Junior Fellow, I work primarily as a research assistant to the scholars in the Russia Eurasia program, researching everything from Russia's military intervention in Syria, to trade partnerships in the Black Sea region, to glacial melt in Tajikistan. I also have been able to take part in some events both at Carnegie, where I was able to see the presidents of Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan speak this year, and at other institutions in DC on issues related to Russia and Eurasia. I am also able to collaborate with Carnegie experts on my own writing projects, putting the writing and analytical skills I developed at Wellesley to the test. The Junior Fellows program has given me invaluable insight into both life and foreign policy work in DC and has helped me shape my own goals and plans for the future.
I sang in Music Academy International's Trentino Music Festival in Fiera di Primiero, Italy. I lived there for five weeks and studied with amazing faculty who have worked with many of the biggest opera houses in the world. Some notable faculty with whom I worked include Maestro J. David Jackson (Metropolitan Opera), David Gately (Washington National Opera, Dallas Opera), Patrizia Di Paolo (Musica a Palazzo, Dimensione lirica), and Stephanie Friede (internationally recognized soprano) among many others. I sang in two fully staged operas (Mozart's Die zauberflöte, Puccini's Suor Angelica) and numerous master classes. I also continued my Italian language studies with local Italian teachers. In addition to studying opera in one of the most beautiful settings imaginable, I hiked every weekend in the Dolomites!
I had the most positive experience possible at the Russian Donors Forum... The office is an all-female environment, and although everyone is always busy with work there is a lot of communication (and laughter) in the office... Each person with whom I worked took it upon themselves to make sure my time in Moscow was as easy and enjoyable as possible... I would highly recommend this internship to any ‘Russianist’ with an interest in philanthropy or non-profits.
Studying abroad took my Japanese language ability beyond the confines of the classroom and into a society full of possibilities. By living in Japan, I was able to communicate with native speakers on a daily basis. By practicing my Japanese daily, my listening, speaking and reading comprehension has greatly improved. Seeing temples, shrines and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu in concert was just a wonderful bonus!
The Mayling Soong Grant allowed me to have a culturally immersive and insightful experience studying Hindi at the American Institute of Indian Studies in Jaipur this past summer. Having travelled to India before as a tourist, it was encouraging to see how my experience with the local culture deepened as my knowledge confidence in the local language grew over the two months. This summer program equipped me with a better understanding of how to approach living and communicating in an Indian city and utilize resources while abroad, making me feel prepared to travel independently for research or academic purposes in the future.
“I couldn't be more grateful to have received the Mayling Soong Scholarship, which financed my summer study in China this year. I studied intensive third-year Chinese at Beijing Normal University, through the Princeton in Beijing program. Through these two months of speaking only Chinese, my language level not only improved dramatically, but I also had the opportunity to experience Chinese culture, customs, and cuisine. I left Beijing with happy memories of exploring the city with new friends and spending late nights joking around with teachers during office hours. Participating in the Princeton in Beijing program was an unparalleled and unforgettable experience, and I owe so much of it to Wellesley's EALC department.”
