Hello!

My name is Michaela, and I am from Maryland, about a stone's throw away from our nation's capital, DC. I have one sister, Abby, who graduated from BMC in 2010, and who, along with the rest of my immediate family, I am very close with. I have lived in the same house my whole life, and gone to both a few so-so private schools to my better years of education in the public school district, regarded nationally as very competitive and advanced. I have always been studious, and so my education at my high school was very satisfying and rewarding. However, even as I received (or claimed, as we are now tasked to do) my education there, I noticed the discrepancies in the underlying realities of how well diverse groups of students were expected to, and thus did, perform in their schoolwork. Low expectations all too often led to low grades,scores, etc. in a sort of vicious cycle.
This is one of the many reasons that I am so excited to come to Bryn Mawr. Despite our socioeconomic, ethnic, religious, and other classifications that we discussed in class yesterday, we are all here to claim a terrific liberal arts education. Though we may at times define ourselves by these classifications, I believe that within the classroom, our devotion to learning will outwit these pre-set boundaries, and give us the opportunity to express our unique perspectives in the form of discussion, writing, etc.
The idea of breaking ourselves down to what is elemental intrigues me, because it allows us to think of both how we are all alike and how we all differ from the inside out. What is additional, or chosen, by each of us, is what makes us the free-thinking humans that we are.
I am very excited to discuss these and other issues with all of you in this ESEM!