At first glance Bre’s interests may appear to have little in common, but throughout her studies and activities a persistent theme of self, and what it means to be yourself, can be found. As a philosophy major, her interests turn toward social epistemology, or, as she describes it: “How we come to know ourselves as social beings, the knowledge we obtain or are restricted from knowing, and how that knowledge shapes who we ultimately are.”
For her minors, Bre explains the connection in folklore as the study of “culture, cultural expression, how art that we experience and participate in every day speaks to our sense of self,” and how her education policy minor allows her to study how school acts as a formative influence in our day-to-day lives and, more broadly, as an institution in a democratic society.
Her work as an Ambassador allows her to explore identity and self as she shares her experience in the College with future students. Talking with prospective students and seeing how their personal interests can guide their undergraduate journeys is fascinating to Bre, and important as she helps answer their questions about the College.
“One of the cooler things I get to do,” she said, “is have these really fun, one-on-one conversations with students. For example, I got to meet with a student who had been admitted to the School of Education but then decided education wasn’t right for them. So I said ‘Cool, let’s talk about everything you do have at your disposal here at the College!’”
As an advisor for the most recent Themester concerning Identity & Identification, she was responsible for choosing relevant campus programming. She recommended the 1994 film Black Is… Black Ain’t – which explores what it means to be African American through song, dance, and interviews with Black celebrities and intellectuals – to premiere at IU Cinema as part of Themester. She also got to help choose Nikole Hannah Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and leading author of the 1619 Project, to come to campus as a speaker.