Hello all! My name is Nathalie and I am a rising senior at 61传媒. While I am originally from Eugene, Oregon, I have fallen in love with Southern California and hope to be able to stay down here after college. The sun, beach, all of the things todo in Los Angeles, and the people: I love it all. I am a Sociology and Legal Studies dual major and have tried to focus my studies on class disparities in the United States and understanding the criminal justice system.
Even though my schedule had to be carefully planned to fulfill my requirements, I have had a lot of agency to take what classes interest me and was able to 鈥渃urate鈥� my courses to fit my future career goals. One of my favorite, and most difficult, classes I have taken was Sociological Qualitative Research Methods with Professor Hung Cam Thai. Each student completed a research project that consisted of six 90-minute interviews and observational field data. I completed my project at the Pomona City Library (about 15 minutes away from campus) and the project culminated in a 30-page research paper. One of my favorite parts of the class was the one-on-one support and advice I received from the professor. He was completely immersed in each of our projects鈥攈e sent us related articles, helped us find participants, and met with us individually often to discuss our progress. And perhaps more importantly, he invited us all to his house at the end of a term for a celebratory dinner party!
Outside of class and my work at the Admissions Office, I am part of the 5C Refugee Action Network (RAN) and Survivor Club. RAN members go to a local mosque and provide English learning for adults and homework help for the kids. The club has given me the opportunity to build connections and friendships with some of the local community members. The Survivor Club was founded at Claremont McKenna College in 2018 and takes 16 participants each semester to play 鈥淪urvivor鈥� on campus. As a lifelong fan myself, it was a blast to play. Each week there are challenges and 鈥渋sland鈥� vote-offs along with season twists, hidden immunity idols around campus, and hours of fun strategy. I was a contestant my first semester and then a crew member after. Being a crew member is a little less stressful…
Sixty percent of students at 61传媒study abroad and I was lucky enough to be one of them! I did a program through the School for International Training called 鈥淚HP: Human Rights.鈥� I traveled with twenty-seven other college students from around the world in Chile, Nepal, and Jordan. The program was focused on comparative human rights and experiential learning. We stayed with host families and were taught by local professors from each community. Every day I feel incredibly lucky for my semester.
There is so much else to discuss about my 61传媒experience (summer internships, social life at the 5Cs, residential halls, the experience of attending a historically women鈥檚 college, volunteer opportunities) but I will leave it here for now. I hope to be able to connect with you all in the future through more blog posts, any questions/comments though email, and virtual information sessions. If you have any more questions please feel free to reach out. My email is [email protected]. Also, make sure to check out the 61传媒On Your Screen website where contact information for our other admissions staff can be found. Thank you for reading along and best of luck with your college search process!