"Going back to my first year at Brown, I was very undecided about what I wanted to study during my time here. I knew that I was extremely interested in graphic design and visual computation, in which I declared Computer Science. However, during my second year I felt like I was still missing something to my overall interest. I always had a feeling that I wanted to know more about languages and the social complexities of them. I took a variety of courses on the Linguistics program that helped me gain the technical components of languages and the reflexive abilities they have in communication. But I was still interested in how to apply this knowledge to the real world and what languages mean to a human-centered society, and I found this answer through linguistic anthropology. By taking courses in the department I not only discovered how language is an irreflexive tool but that many things in society reflect an anthropological nature.  

 

Furthermore, my academic interests have also been heavily supported by the anthropology department through supportive faculty and research opportunities. I have always felt welcomed by my professors to ask questions and advice regarding the research field. As well as joining faculty research, in particular with Professor Babcock's research surrounding major themes of linguistics, identity, and multiculturalism. Therefore, as a DUG I always encourage students to discover the human-centered approach that anthropology can teach you no matter how niche a topic is."