What is a Reedie?

What is a Reedie, Anyway?

You can say one thing for the class of 2022—they’re resilient. In the face of a global pandemic, economic meltdown, and immense social dislocation, they stayed true to their compass and finished their theses. We decided to interview 12 of them to learn more about the people, places, and ideas that inspired them.

BY RANDALL S. BARTON

Aemann 弌曼

GREEK, LATIN, AND ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN STUDIES & POLITICAL SCIENCE

Thesis adviser:

Peter Steinberger [political science]; Nigel Nicholson [Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies]

Theses: political science thesis: “On the Facticity and the Normativity of Rationality: A Reading of the HabermasBrandom Correspondence (1999/2002).” GLAM thesis: “The Literary Form of the Dialogue and the Ethics of Philosophy in Plato’s Gorgias.”

What it’s about: PoliSci thesis: Why I think that Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason bears political relevance. GLAM thesis: Why I think that Plato believes that we should be mindful of how to have a conversation.

Influential professors:

My two most influential professors were my thesis advisors, Peter Steinberger and Nigel Nicholson, but Prof. Ellen Millender [GLAM] showed me how to engage with secondary sources; Sonia Sabnis [GLAM] made my double major possible and supported my somewhat random language studies. Alice Hu [GLAM] taught a wonderful class on Sophocles’s Ajax.

Influential book: My Broken Mariko by Waka Hirako and One Piece by Eiichirō Oda.

Cool stuff: I drew manga; played the harpsichord and the organ (thanks to generous funding from the music department ); taught myself Latin and then placed in advanced Latin with help from Prof. Sonia Sabnis.

Challenges faced:

Learning how to participate in conference in a respectful manner and build on what others have said; learning how to write; learning how to be wary of, and articulate, what I do not know; and learning how to have a conversation.

How Reed changed me:

I don’t want this to sound like Reed propaganda, but my amazing professors taught me how to be responsible for my own thoughts and life, and be kind.

What’s next: Pursuing my PhD in politics at Princeton University. In terms of life aspirations, I want to be a mangaka.

Elena Carmen Turner ANTHROPOLOGY

Hometown:

Costa Mesa, California

Thesis adviser: Alejandra Roche Recinos [anthropology]

Thesis: “Reconfigurations of Indigeneity and Tourism in Yucatán, México”

What it’s about: Indigeneity is used in tourism to conjure fantasies of the landscapes and culture of Mexico that appeal to tourists, and tourism in general relies on the movement of foreign bodies and creates power imbalances between tourists and those on the other side of the tourists’ gaze. My thesis focuses on an ecotourist destination that relocates agency in the local community through its work. I argue that Indigenous communities in Mexico are using the channels provided by tourism to co-opt and rewrite narratives of Indigeneity to serve their own ends within the broader contexts of state intervention and the tourism economy.

What it’s really about:

A really cool ecotourist destination in Yucatán, Mexico, managed by a cooperative of Indigenous women.

In high school: I was earnest, gregarious, and sanguine.

Influential class:

Prof. LaShandra Sullivan introduced me to anthropology and fundamentally changed how I see the world. I learned that affective and bodily knowledges tell us more than intellectual, mental knowledge, and that we are all always in relation with each other, across physical and temporal boundaries.

Concept that blew my mind:

Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of dialogism, which asserts that every act of language is always positioned in relation to an audience, whether imagined or real. This means that everything we say is always already in dialogue; no act of language is ever isolated or independent from the contexts that surround and foreground it.

Cool stuff: I worked in the Reed canyon, made amazing friends—human, plant, and animal—and learned a lot about ecological restoration techniques and native plants.

How Reed changed me:

I’m more gullible now, which is a way of saying that I’ve learned to entertain multiple simultaneous truths rather than seek out a singular endall, be-all answer.

What’s next: Working yearround at a summer camp in California that empowers LGBT+ and BIPOC youth through outdoor education.

Maxwell J.D. VanLandschoot ECONOMICS

Hometown: Denver, Colorado

Thesis adviser: Noelwah Netusil [economics]

Thesis: “Surveying Risk Perceptions of Nuclear Energy in the Pacific Northwest”

What it’s about: Seeking to understand, through a representative survey, the risk perceptions adults in the Pacific Northwest have about nuclear energy. I ask what, if any, characteristics and demographics influence or are correlated with risk perceptions in order to better understand our contemporary policy landscape.

What it’s really about: Which people are wrong about nuclear energy and why? (This was also an excuse to collect and play with survey data.)

In high school: I was the secretary general of our Model UN team, editor of our school paper, and stuttered my way through two Mock Trial state championships.

Influential class:

Prof. Noelwah Netusil was my guiding light through Reed. She pushed me, showed me how to use economics for good, and helped me navigate too many catastrophes to count.

Influential book: Open by Prof. Kim Clausing.

Concept that blew my mind:

Many of the most significant issues (climate change, war, incarceration, etc.) affecting the world might be resolved if we could capture and appropriately price-in externalities.

Cool stuff: I was a reactor operator and mentor at the Reed Research Reactor, president of the Finance and Investment Club, a disability advocate for people with speech impediments and stutters (like me!), started the Reed Chapter of the American Nuclear Society, captained the CFA Challenge team, and wrote for the Quest.

Challenges faced: Between the pandemic, 2020 election, fires, protests, global conflict, economic uncertainty, and a tree falling through my room, I am just happy I made it through in one piece.

How Reed changed me:

Reed made me more curious, made me acknowledge and appreciate who I really am.

Awards: A data science fellowship to work with Prof. Kelly McConville at Harvard, economics research fellowship, summer internship award to study the economic impact of COVID19 on a small Washington city, and Undergaduate Statistics Class Project winner.

What’s next: Working with international research groups and traveling, then heading off to grad school.

Ananke Garan Krishnan BIOLOGY

Hometown:

San Jose, California

Thesis advisers:

Profs. Anna Ritz [biology] and Julia Michaels [biology]

Thesis: “Impacts of Backyard Habitat Creation for Birds at Single Yard and City-Wide Scales”

What it’s about: How do small-scale urban restoration projects—in this case the implementation of “backyard habitats” via the Backyard Habitat Certification Program—function to support birds? I’m interested in how this established network of backyards can serve as a system of habitat corridors to increase overall habitat connectivity and accessibility for birds across Portland!

What it’s really about:

How can we support birds in urban ecosystems?

In high school: I was quiet, shy, and just as much of a bird nerd.

Influential class: Wildlife in America made me reassess the idea of conservation as a social issue just as much as an environmental one. I came to understand that the health of societies and the environment are inextricably linked, that actions taken for wildlife inevitably affect people, and that conservation issues must be approached in a socially just way.

Influential book: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy shows how universals such as grief, loss, and love become much more complicated in the context of boundaries set by larger society.

Concept that blew my mind:

Biological cascade reactions— how a single signaling pathway can be responsible for several different responses!

Cool stuff: I presented a poster at a scientific conference in Austin, volunteered at the Reed Community Pantry, tutored for intro bio, learned to pour latte art as a volunteer barista, and rehabilitated injured wild birds at the Audubon Society.

Help along the way:

I received generous grants from the biology department and the Center for Life Beyond Reed to conduct summer research and present at conferences.

Challenges faced:

Conducting over 100 earlymorning bird surveys for my thesis in the span of a semester—such are the demands of field research!

What’s next: Working as a grassland bird intern at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute over the summer, then starting a research assistant position at the University of Maryland on modeling animal movement.

Monique Queen PSYCHOLOGY

Hometown: Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia

Thesis adviser:

Glenn Baker [psychology]

Thesis: “Showing Up and Showing Out: Predictors of Black Lives Matter (BLM) Protest Endorsement and Protest Action Type in Portland, OR”

What it’s about: Looking at 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations in Portland, my research questions which attitudes, social (environmental) factors, and protest behaviors predict endorsement of or participation in protest. It’s significant as it occurs in the midst of ongoing calls for police abolition, an end to police brutality/racially motivated harm, and equal rights/equitably distributed resources for Black folks.

What it’s really about:

How Portlanders show up regarding BLM protests— physically and in other ways—and what attitudes and behaviors predict this.

Influential class:

Prof. LaShandra Sullivan’s Black Queer Diaspora course was relevant to my identity and how I show up in the world as a Black queer/quare femme.

Concept that blew my mind:

Rest as resistance! Accessing dream spaces to dismantle oppressive systems and using rest to step into our full humanity.

Influential book:

Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene Carruthers speaks to the centuries of systemic violence and greed taking place in the forms of capitalism, patriarchy, anti-blackness, and white supremacy, genocide, and erasure of Indigenous peoples and their land and resources.

Cool stuff: Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) programming, SEEDS, Special Collections & Archives, Black Student Union, and helping throw Nasty Ball (iykyk).

Help along the way: Without the aid I received, I wouldn’t have been able to attend this school. I still have loans and am of the mindset that education should be free (especially for Black and Indigenous folks in this country).

Challenges faced:

Being Black and low SES navigating a campus that was not designed for people who look like me presented an array of challenges, including institutional racism, experiencing discrimination on and off campus, and academic stress.

What’s next: Things happen for a reason and within divine timing—hopefully opportunities that allow me to farm and be able to tend and steward land.

Edi Kim ENGLISH–CREATIVE WRITING

Hometown:

Columbia, Missouri

Thesis adviser: Prof. Jae Yeun Choi [creative writing]

Thesis: “Diplopia”

What it’s about: Memory and remembering; various vessels for containing and uncovering history (the body, the home, the connections that bring people together); moments of and sites for transformation; in (in)sight and perception of the self and everything that has made it.

Influential classes:

Poetry classes with Prof. Jae Yeun Choi and English classes with Prof. Kritish Rajbhandari opened my eyes to ways of seeing, understanding, and analyzing the world.

Concept that blew my

mind: Posthumanism and the phenomenology of whiteness.

Cool stuff: I learned how to surf and juggle, studied and assisted with metalorganic aerosol reactions in an environmental chemistry research lab, assisted with oceanic postcolonial fiction research, people-watched during late night shifts at the college bookstore, participated in some amazing poetry readings, completed a manuscript of poetry, and assisted with editorial work for Bitch Media with Federal Work-Study.

Awards: I received a Locher grant (2020) to write a collection of poetry titled "Fingering Through the Compost" and an Eddings grant to edit and expand my creative thesis manuscript.

Challenges faced:

The academic and social culture at Reed can definitely suck you in if you’re not careful. It took me a second to find what kept me grounded, balanced, and happy once the intensity of the school year kicked in.

How Reed changed

me: My time at Reed truly changed the way I think about and approach the world. I learned how to formulate and follow the questions that matter to me, explore the many directions that it will inevitably proliferate into, and uncover, thoroughly and with trust and confidence in my own intuition and perception, how to sift out answers.

What’s next: I'll be traveling soon, first to NYC and then to South Korea. After I come back to the U.S. I plan to work, write, and recenter myself while I clarify my next steps. I want to eventually do an MFA and maybe go back for a PhD, but for now I'm excited to read, learn, and write outside of a school setting.

Andrew Her ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES–ECONOMICS

Hometown:

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Thesis adviser: Noelwah Netusil [economics]

Thesis: “Think Green, Think Chocolate: A Case Study of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in the Chocolate Industry”

What it’s about: My thesis explores themes of corporate social responsibility, supply chain resiliency, and industrywide sustainability in the chocolate industry. Through a case study approach, I analyze four different chocolate-producing firms on their perspectives on supply chain management and sustainability given current industry trends.

What it’s really about:

Why people should care more about chocolate and how firms are approaching sustainability when crafting these delectable confectionary treats.

Influential book:

Erika Lee’s America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States underscores the importance of immigration and migration history in the United States and how the nation still suffers from irrational fear and hostility towards immigrants.

Concept that blew my mind:

Jacob Lawrence’s use of color and social realism in his 60 panels from The Migration Series taught me about the importance of every brush stroke.

Cool stuff: I worked with the admission office, participated in the Reed Financial Services Fellowship, hosted KRRC shows, interned at Goldman Sachs, and learned how to play squash, do yoga, ski, and use a map and compass through the PE program.

Help along the way: Being a first-generation Hmong American, I had limited financial resources, and I am so grateful to have been able to attend Reed thanks to the generosity of Reed donors. I hope I can inspire students to reach for the stars, no matter what the sticker price says.

Challenges faced:

Thanks to my humanities conference leader, Prof. Nathalia King, I was able to learn how to find my voice in the classroom, which gave me confidence outside of the classroom as well.

How Reed changed me:

Reed has taught me to take a step back, look at the bigger picture, and to look at things from various perspectives.

What’s next: Moving to Salt Lake City, Utah, and working as an analyst at Goldman Sachs.

Nguyễn Ngọc Yến Nhi

INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE POLICY STUDIES

Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Portland, Oregon

Thesis adviser: Paul Manson [political science]

Thesis: “The Impact of States’ Policy Choices on College Completion Rates in the United States”

What it’s about:

What happened after college admissions? College enrollment rates are high in the U.S., yet many students do not finish their degree. My thesis explored the impact of states’ appropriations, citizens’ disposable income, and K–12 expenditures on college completion rates in the U.S. from 2001 to 2014.

What it’s really about:

Inequitable access to higher education started early. Like, really early.

Influential class:

Prof. Victoria Fortuna [dance] teaches me that I need to listen to how my body “thinks”—that even though I don’t consider myself a dancer, I’m dancing every day. I relied on methods from my dance ethnography class to write a political science thesis, which is the beauty of a Reed education.

Cool stuff: Transfer Student Group and Vietnamese Student Association. Socializing during a pandemic was awkward, yet we found ways to be in each other’s company.

Help along the way:

I was able to go to college because of Reed’s generous financial aid package. I could not believe my eyes when I got the email. I am determined to pay it forward because I had folks who believe in me. The Ford Family Foundation helped me with room and board, a supportive community, and muchneeded mental support.

Challenges faced:

As a nontraditional transfer student, I was afraid that I would feel out of place. Ben Bradley (registrar’s office) helped me sort out my credits when I first transferred and became a friend. B Hunter (CLBR), the most supportive career advisor ever, connected me with Reed alums who helped kickstart my career in policy analysis.

How Reed changed me:

Reed encouraged me to be more patient and comfortable with my own learning process and pushed me to become a better thinker, speaker, and writer.

What’s next: I will be a policy analyst, working with the Oregon Center for Public Policy!

Aditya Gadkari ECONOMICS

Hometown: Pune, India

Thesis adviser:

Jon Rork [economics]

Thesis: “Mandi Markets: An Economic Analysis of the Effects of State-Run Markets on Farmer Market Outcomes and Satisfaction in India”

What it’s about: My thesis empirically investigates the effects of state-run “mandi” markets on the market outcomes for farmers in India. Agriculture is often an oligopsony market, where farmers only have a handful of buyers competing for their produce. My thesis shows that proximity to state-run markets improves farmers’ market outcomes as the existence of a viable outside option reduces the market power of private traders.

What it’s really about:

In agriculture, competition between buyers means better outcomes and thus satisfaction for farmers.

In high school: I was an energetic, social butterfly who participated in as many extracurricular activities as I could pack into my schedule.

Cool stuff: I cofounded the South Asian Student Union, cochaired the Student Committee on Academic Policy and Planning, and was a member of the Student Committee for Diversity. I also coled the Mountaineering Club and worked as a confidential advocate for survivors of on-campus sexual assault.

Influential classes:

Prof. Kambiz GhaneaBassiri’s class on the erasure of Islam from the Western humanities was eye-opening and helped me finally understand some of the reasons why the distinction of the West historically arose. Prof. Jon Rork’s class on urban economics helped me realize my passion for urban policy—something I plan to pursue as a career.

Help along the way:

I am immensely grateful for the financial aid I received from Reed and would not have been able to be here without it!

Challenges faced: I had to adjust not only to a completely new academic environment, but to a completely new country. Culture shock often comes in forms you least expect.

How Reed changed me:

I have a newfound respect for how infinite knowledge is and feel comfortable acknowledging when I do not understand something.

What’s next: I'm working at ECONorthwest, a firm that specializes in policy consulting, especially around urban and natural resource policy.

August Singer STUDIO DANCE

Hometown: Bend, Oregon

Thesis adviser:

Prof. Carla Mann [dance]

Thesis: “Giving up the Ghost: Selfhood and Otherhood in Technologized Dance”

What it’s about:

When technology is incorporated into dance performance, how does it change an audience’s perception of the dancers’ identities?

What it’s really about:

Dancing while being transgender and online.

In high school: I was so excited to move on to college and discover communities that feel and think like me.

Influential classes: Prof. Victoria Fortuna’s Dance, Gender, and Sexuality class changed the way I think about my own identity, how I move through space, and how dance acts as a cultural signifier and cultural creator. Prof. Carla Mann’s Dance Improvisation taught me to think with my entire body and to understand how we learn by moving.

Influential book: Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of the most gorgeously written books I’ve ever read.

Concept that blew my

mind: The popularity, specific shape, and design of massproduced dinnerware used in the United States is directly correlated with the rise of the American middle class, the post-WWII economic boom, and the assimilation of European immigrants into the myth of the American “melting pot.”

Cool stuff: Ran KRRC during a pandemic and hosted a radio talk show, worked at OMSI and the Q Center, threw several balls, fell in love with ceramics, choreographed and directed a thesis production.

How Reed changed me:

The privilege of existing among Reedies taught me so much about the kind of person I want to be and the ways I can grow to get there. The Reed dance faculty showed me how movement and embodiment is a form of knowledge that I can use to create spaces for myself in the dance world.

Help along the way: Reed would not have been possible for me without financial aid.

What’s next: Earning my PhD in performance studies so I can teach and conduct research about gender, identity, and dance.