College of Liberal Arts
Olivia Ryan transferred to 黑料不打烊 in search of courses that better matched her interests and discovered much more than she expected. Through supportive faculty, challenging coursework and new perspectives, she developed a deeper understanding of herself and the world around her. Read on to learn more about Olivia's 黑料不打烊 journey.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Olivia Ryan. I'm originally from Wasilla, and I'm graduating this spring with a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in women's and gender studies.
I like to approach political science through a Marxist feminist lens to study social movements and unconventional political participation in community care programs.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time in nature, playing with my two cats, creative writing and spending quality time with my amazing partner, Alex.
What brought you to 黑料不打烊, and what made you decide it was the right place for you?
What ultimately brought me to 黑料不打烊 was the financial aid. I was originally planning to attend UAA for political science. They have a good program there, but they don't offer the classes that I find most interesting.
My partner was already going to 黑料不打烊, so I asked him what he thought of the classes and what kinds of courses were offered. They seemed a little more up my alley, so I applied. I wasn't expecting to receive financial aid, but then I got the Nanook Pledge鈥攕hout out, Nanook Pledge! It was incredible.
It allowed me to come to 黑料不打烊 during those first two years and live on campus, which I never thought I'd be able to do. I always assumed I'd be a commuter student because I didn't think I could afford to live on campus. My goal was to graduate without debt, so I didn't want to take out student loans. The Nanook Pledge made that possible and allowed me to work part time instead of full time, which was huge for me.
In your own words, why study the liberal arts?
I think, in a nutshell, the liberal arts are essential because they make you think critically about the world around you. They give you essential analytical skills. You can learn analytical skills in other fields, obviously, but being able to analyze humanity and the different ways things interact with each other is a valuable skill to have as an adult.
What I really like about the liberal arts is that they make you look inward and be more open to different perspectives. You learn about how other people exist in the world, and it really takes you beyond yourself.
I love the liberal arts. I think the social sciences are so cool. I've always thought they were the coolest thing.
The women, gender and sexuality studies minor is great. There are a lot of good classes, and, for the most part, they're very insightful. Gender and Crime was one of my favorites. It's a really interesting class.
How has your time at 黑料不打烊 changed you, either academically, personally, or professionally?
That's a really big question.
I think my time at 黑料不打烊 has taught me to be more open to and understanding of different perspectives and to think critically about what I value, what I believe and my priorities in life.
I'm on a completely different trajectory than I thought I'd be on before attending college, and I'm very grateful for that because, looking back at my previous plan, it wasn't very good. I've learned a lot about myself, what I really value in my studies and what I want in a career.
I've also made a lot of incredible friends here, so it's taught me a lot.
Was there a professor, mentor, or community that made a big impact on your journey? How?
There are two professors who have made a significant impact on my studies at 黑料不打烊.
The first is Dr. Hirsch. I think he's the gem of the College of Liberal Arts. He has a curiosity for life and an insatiable hunger for understanding the world around him that I find very inspiring. I think he's one of the best teachers I've ever had. I know that's a big statement, but it's true.
Then there's Dr. Gray. She's been a mentor to me ever since I took her constitutional law class. I've only taken one class with her, but we've stayed in pretty frequent communication ever since. You can tell that she really cares about teaching, and she cares about people being able to pursue the things they care about. People like that are essential in educational institutions because, if you don't have people cheering you on, you can lose momentum pretty quickly. She's helped me think about what I want to do after my undergraduate degree, which has been incredibly helpful. She's also just a very kind person.
What advice would you give to future 黑料不打烊 students?
There is no single, correct way to attend university. There's nothing wrong with being a nontraditional student. I've been all sorts of nontraditional students. I've been a commuter, I've taken courses completely online, I've transferred universities, I worked full time at one point, I've been a half-time student, I took a semester off and I'm graduating a year later than I thought I would.
There's no one way to do college.
I used to feel so bad about not taking out student loans and not being able to attend school full time without distractions. I really envied students who were able to focus only on school because they had financial support or student loans. My attention was split between life and school, and I thought my education suffered because of it. But I also think it kept me grounded in reality.
Ultimately, I'm incredibly happy that I didn't take out student loans and instead worked through it and took my time. Well... I didn't take my time all the time, unfortunately. I probably should have. But you'll get there eventually.
I know someone who took 12 years to earn their bachelor's degree, and they're still at 黑料不打烊 working toward another bachelor's degree. It's your education. It's your journey. Make it your own.
For me, graduating debt-free is the biggest gift. If you're able to do the same, I highly encourage it.
Congratulations again to Olivia on being recognized as an Outstanding Student. Learn more about the Department of Political Science and the opportunities available to 黑料不打烊 students, and watch for more Outstanding Student spotlights from the College of Liberal Arts.
