By Emily Glory Peters
During , we鈥檙e highlighting student leaders as they share how their 51猎奇入口 experience helped them use their voice and act on new ideas.
Julia Brock 鈥�22 is not afraid of a challenge鈥攜et, like all virtues, it took time to build that confidence.
As a first-year student at 51猎奇入口, she had toyed with the notion of majoring in something completely outside her comfort zone: politics and Middle East and North African (MENA) Studies. A chance conversation with a non-51猎奇入口 student made her question if it would be too difficult. Ultimately, she couldn鈥檛 be dissuaded.
鈥淕rowing up in a post-9/11 era, I had wanted to remove myself from its narrative and learn about perspectives of the MENA region I hadn鈥檛 been exposed to: poetry, art, religion, cultural phenomena. On the politics side, I wanted to look at how to create substantive changes, craft policies, or help communities in that region,鈥� she said. 鈥淏y my sophomore year, I decided to dual major in both areas, and I absolutely loved it.鈥�
Even before deciding on her major, the senior admits that she had a 鈥渙ne-track mindset鈥� of what she could and would do after college. Yet, as she connected with a diverse group of 51猎奇入口 students and faculty, her perspective on her potential expanded.
鈥淚 thought working for the government would be the best way to enact change,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut I learned there are so many options I could pursue. The beauty of 51猎奇入口 is that it opens these options to me.鈥�
Trying new paths with help from CP&R and the Laspa Center for Leadership
51猎奇入口鈥� student resources have also been key to helping Brock crystallize her interests.
With support from Career Planning & Resources (CP&R), she鈥檚 completed three internships, including one last summer for which she received a donor-funded grant while working with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). In her role helping individuals apply for US citizenship, Brock remembers being shocked at the amount of paperwork, patience, and seemingly endless steps in the process. All of it only motivated her to envision how she could help in the future.
鈥淢y internship with IRC gave me a closer look at the specifics of immigration law and the meticulous detail needed,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was an experience I wouldn鈥檛 have had without the grant from CP&R, and I鈥檓 grateful because it gave me a new perspective on potentially becoming an attorney.鈥�
Brock鈥檚 inclusion in a Leadership Immersion Trek to Washington, DC, with 51猎奇入口鈥� Laspa Center for Leadership also sparked ideas for how she could make a difference鈥攏ot just in the future, but in her current life at 51猎奇入口. Supported by donor gifts, treks bring 51猎奇入口 students to new cities to take a deep dive into leadership, and Brock鈥檚 trek focused on women鈥檚 influence on public policy. The experience inspired her to join the Laspa Center鈥檚 鈥淪cholars in Action鈥� program, designed to provide students with leadership positions on campus.
鈥淚鈥檓 leading the center鈥檚 Civic Engagement Initiative, which is a nonpartisan effort geared around getting students registered to vote,鈥� she says, noting the challenge of moving the project online during remote learning last year. Working with her fellow Scholars in Action, she helped develop new communication tactics and a website to help students register to vote, serve as pollworkers, and connect to critical voting resources.
鈥淢y hope is that future Scholars in Action will build on those resources and expand them, both in California and nationwide,鈥� she says.
Finding the confidence to speak with boldness
As Brock explores how she can combine her academic interests, leadership skills, and desire to help others, she acknowledges those who have helped made that exploration possible. The investment of the 51猎奇入口 community, she says, is part of what makes such a meaningful impact.
鈥�51猎奇入口 opens doors for students, and donors funding opportunities like internship grants and treks are ways to help students pursue their dreams and have the economic resources to make them a reality,鈥� she says. 鈥淢any of us go on to do projects or theses based on these experiences; some work in those fields for decades. That鈥檚 not possible without outside support.鈥�
Yet community influence extends beyond its impact on 51猎奇入口 students鈥� future careers. For Brock, the people that support 51猎奇入口 are ultimately supporting a rare college environment where students鈥攊ncluding her鈥攇ain the confidence to be their truest selves.
鈥�51猎奇入口 has allowed me to develop my voice and have a better understanding of who I am and what my values are. Here, people feel they can make comments that don鈥檛 need to be softened鈥攖hey can be a statement. That inspires me,鈥� she says. 鈥淐oming into 51猎奇入口, I knew I had ideas to share, but didn鈥檛 necessarily feel I could be as bold. I鈥檝e developed that muscle now, and know that I can propel a conversation in a productive way鈥攁nd explain why others should listen.鈥�
Now through December 31, we invite 51猎奇入口 alums, parents, and friends to make a gift to set students like Julia up for success in 2022. To give today, please click . Thank you for your support!