If you know anything about me, you know that I am a humanities nerd. Ever since I was young, I’ve loved fiction novels, and if I read any non-fiction it was always about art or history. I am studying Anthropology, Linguistics, and French, and I love reading, writing (hence this job), and anything creative. STEM subjects on the other hand, scare me and they always have. I remember being removed from my second grade classroom because I was so inept at telling time, and even to this day I can barely tell time (the clock hands look so similar!) All throughout high school I dreaded taking math and science classes because more often than not, I did not understand the material or I was simply not interested in it. Coming to the University of Rochester gave me a break because I got to study exactly what I wanted to-except when it came to…my Natural Sciences cluster.
I have been putting off this cluster for three semesters now, but it is finally time to face my fears. I have a lot of self-doubt relating to STEM, especially when the majority of my friends here are STEM nerds. Luckily, I had many choices of subjects. I decided to pursue my passion of sustainability (again, hence this job). I am very fortunate to go to a school where I can choose from so many options to find something I actually want to study.
As second semester begins, I am a little nervous to start this cluster, but I am hopeful that my passion for sustainability and my prior knowledge of the subject will help me succeed. It will also be a good opportunity for me to branch out of my Humanities/Social Sciences bubble, and to meet new people. Happy second semester everyone.
Written by Isabel Lieberman, Class of 2021.