Global Studies Portfolio​
Global Studies
​The Global Studies Program at Watkinson School is a dual diploma program focused on helping students become informed global citizens through exposure to unique ideas and opinions. The program aims to provide students with the knowledge they need to become strong global citizens and leaders by attending events, doing research, and taking part in meaningful discussions. The guiding themes of the program are human rights, non-violence and war, the environment, globalization, sustainability, technology, religion, and the arts.
One of the main reasons why I joined the global studies program is to become more involved and knowledgeable on global issues. So far, this program has allowed me to navigate a lot of information and many different perspectives without getting overwhelmed. I have realized that there is more to becoming a good global citizen than just knowing what is happening in the world. Taking action, learning more in depth about a topic, and hearing different opinions on current issues are just as, if not more, important. Another aspect that has contributed to my interest in global studies is my family background and love of travel. Since my dad is from Brazil and my grandparents, who are Italian and German, live in Brazil, travel has always been very important to me. When I traveled to Brazil at the age of nine, the trip was more than just a vacation since it is part of my identity and my family history. Trips like this have left me very interested in the world as a whole, helping me see a different way of living than my own.
Global Studies Events
Global Studies students are required to attend a minimum of nine events over the course of the year, one of which must be religious of a faith that isn't their own. After each of these events, students write a reflection that serves as an overview of the experience and a summary of their thoughts. Here are some of the Global Studies events I have been apart of so far.
Friday Prayers at Farmington Valley American Muslim Center
January 21, 2025
Mass MoCA Trip
October 21, 2024
I had an amazing experience exploring Mass MoCA due to how unique both the museum's layout and the art was. Since it is a modern art museum, there was so much more variation in the art itself and there were ways for visitors to interact with the art rather than just viewing it. My favorite part of the museum was The Plastic Bag Store because I really appreciated how intentional everything seemed to be, with so many small details that created a very unique experience. Since it was very interactive and visually appealing, I think that the exhibit is very effective in showing the visitors how big of an issue the environmental crisis really is. What stood out to me from the movie portion of the exhibit was the idea of throwing something “away”. Everyone says this all the time without thinking about it, but the movie exposes how “away” doesn’t really exist and instead everything ends up in the oceans. Plastic never fully disappears, instead breaking down into microplastics that can be ingested by humans and animals, causing health problems that we have yet to fully research.
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Visit from Arn-Chorn Pond: Stories from a Cambodian Genocide Survivor
October 10, 2024
One of the first few observations I had when Arn was presenting was how strong he was, and how much love he had to share with our community. Each time he presents he has to partially relive the most difficult parts of his past and be emotionally vulnerable in front of a crowd of strangers, yet he continues to travel all around in order to educate the public. I was also struck by how much he talked about crying, specifically how his ability to cry has changed throughout his life. As a young child during the Cambodian Genocide who was in and out of concentration camps, Arn was never allowed to cry or show other emotions externally. He described that it took him many years of finally being safe in America to be able to cry in public, and even longer to be able to cry alone. This connects to the dehumanization that took place during the Cambodian Genocide, during which the Khmer Rouge stripped everyone of their uniqueness by making everyone’s clothes and hair look the same, and by instilling fear so people stopped outward displays of emotion. Now, even though he doesn't completely fit into either culture, Arn appears to feel a deep connection to both America and Cambodia, helping to bridge the gap between these two very different societies. ​
CT Supreme Court Head Justice Confirmation of Justice Mullins'
September 30, 2024
The hearing started with an opening statement by Justice Mullins, during which he addressed some of the ideas he has to improve this branch of the Connecticut government if he were to become the Chief Justice. He talked in depth about technology, one of the global studies themes, arguing that it has both positive and negative effects. While it does make certain jobs much easier, he highlighted that technology can never actually replace human connection. I feel similarly conflicted about the topic of technology and I appreciated that he addressed the downsides of technological advancements, which often seems to be forgotten. One moment that was especially surprising was when one of the Senators explicitly disagreed with Mullins’ statement related to the idea that rights come from the government. Instead, he proposed his belief that rights come from God, directly contradicting the longstanding attempt at the separation of church and state. This put Mullins in a very difficult position, not wanting to undermine the Senator while also having very different views on the subject. This was one of many times that I was very impressed with how Mullins stayed calm and kept his composure, despite being pressed with questions.
Caste: The Origins of
our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson
Summer Reading and Discussion
Before reading this book, I had heard the word caste used to talk about India a few times but I never considered what it actually meant. Within the first few chapters, I quickly learned that caste is a term that encompasses many of the inequalities that are occurring constantly around us and that are built into the foundation of our country. The book uses the stories of real people that suffered as a result of the caste system and the movie allowed me to watch everything unfold and fit together logically, appealing to a sense of empathy. I watched as a Dalit man cleaned a sewer in India, as books were being thrown into the fire in Germany, and as an African American boy sat on a raft in a swimming pool, surrounded by people giving him looks of fear and hatred. The scene of the man in Nazi Germany with his arms crossed while hundreds of others had an arm outstretched, displaying their loyalty to Hitler, stood out to me from both the book and the movie. I believe many of us like to think we are like August Landmesser, defying what we disagree with in our society, but in reality a lot of us fall short. In writing this book, Wilkerson hoped to inspire more people to defy the longstanding traditions of caste in our society today.
“Radical empathy, on the other hand, means putting in the work to educate oneself and to listen with a humble heart to understand another's experience from their perspective, not as we imagine we would feel. Radical empathy is not about you and what you think you would do in a situation you have never been in and perhaps never will. It is the kindred connection from a place of deep knowing that opens your spirit to the pain of another as they perceive it."
- Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents