As a young child, I was blessed to spend an entire year with my grandma.  She taught me to read, write, and solve puzzles at an early age.  As a teacher of 46 years, she showed me the beauty of curiosity.  Even though grandma has now passed away, I often feel like I’m taking her curiosity with me into the world.  I believe a major theme in education is learning to solve problems through our curiosity.  With this idea in mind, I learn best by asking questions.  I am intrigued by systems, especially those systems that govern how people work together.  I have a specific interest in solving problems of conflict between individuals as well as institutions and ideas within the system.  I want to gain the tools and skills needed to answer the big questions-to learn how to write contingency plans for humanity.

In my career, I have been fortunate to work on teams that also ask questions about systems and policy.  At Westminster College, I volunteered as the logistics team leader for the first “What If…?” Conference.  Part of our mission was (and is) to inspire academic curiosity on campus and in the community while sharing new ways to think about our world.   As the logistics leader, I spent many hours working through the details of the event so that all of the working pieces ran smoothly together.  I helped to determine resources, manage guests and event sections, and offered creative ideas to enhance the experience.  The initial problem solving led to an event where we encouraged guests to think critically and innovatively about world problems.  

After “What If…?,” I was selected as a Coro intern in Public Affairs. I worked closely with a former mayor, a team of eleven bright interns, community developers, city council members, and others, to observe how policy directly impacted five specific organizations in which I was placed.  Through this program, I shadowed under a diverse set of people that allowed me to see the structure of Kansas City, Missouri in a very unique way.  It opened my eyes to all of the moving pieces at work and allowed me to think critically about ways to make the system even more efficient.

In the spring semester, I interned for a lobbying firm to monitor center pieces of education and health legislation.  I had the opportunity to monitor bills, distributing information to legislators, host clients, attend hearings, and compile reports for our clients. I shadowed under a man who was very open to experiential learning.  I spent each day observing our State government and asking questions to better understand how to maximize the system.  

With the knowledge gained in each of these experiences, I was able to ask even more questions. Eventually, I want to gain the experience needed to answer to ask some of the biggest questions.  What policies should we create to proactively provide for the needs of a diverse group? How should we react best in the wake of natural disaster?  How do we restore a community diseased with genocide and revenge?  I desire the ability to solve problems of conflict at all levels.  

My strengths here include an inherent desire to help break through misconceptions that perpetuate conflict.  The abilities to communicate deeply, on the interpersonal level, and to remain open-minded allow me to meet people where they are in the conflict. My experiences provide a good starting point. I have a willingness to explore new, interdisciplinary ideas that help individuals move forward in interesting ways.  I want to reach higher into the next level now.  I’m looking for the experiences and tools essential to being an effective public service woman, advocate, mediator, and always, a life-long student.