Hanna Bobrowicz ‘20 of Burlingame, California, is a history major and theater minor at Connecticut College. She is on the Leadership Committee of HerCampus, a member of the PR committee for the Women’s Empowerment Initiative, a member of Connecticut College Democrats and a Tour Guide. She plans on declaring her Peace and Conflict Pathway this fall.
As a first year, I was one of those lucky people who knew what they wanted to major in. History has always been a passion of mine, particularly social movements. Before college, I would often spend hours watching documentaries and interrogating my parents about life during the ‘60s. I was also extremely passionate about social events and community service. In high school, I was a part of the Young Dreamer organization that allowed me to work in communities in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and India. So while I was determined to major in history, I also wanted to make sure I would use my degree to impact the world in a positive way.
When I got to Conn, I studied a variety of social movements by taking classes like Music and Social Activism, Theater and Film through the AIDS Epidemic, and World War I: Making of a Modern World. I was amazed at the impact that social movements can have on a society. Conflict is inevitable, but how people respond determines the fate of their society. Though I loved studying these historical time periods, I could not help but wonder about the social movements and conflicts of today. I loved history, but I wasn’t sure if I could apply my historical knowledge to current events and conflicts. And, more importantly, I wanted to be able to take my knowledge of history and figure out a way to help people with it.
It was in the spring of my first year at Conn when I heard about the Peace and Conflict Pathway. As part of Connections, Pathways are designed to take an interest that I have and integrate it into my major studies. The Peace and Conflict Pathway allows me to examine more of my interests through the classes I am taking to earn my history degree. As I form my animating question, I will be able to focus on an area of interest in addition to my major. It is my plan to explore historical and current examples of how warfare and social movements influence one another. As a student of history, I am constantly comparing current events to the past. Through the Peace and Conflict Pathway, I hope to understand if social movements can succeed without conflict and if warfare and violence can be avoided in the future.
After I declare my Pathway in October, I will take a Peace and Conflict seminar during the spring semester of my sophomore year. I hope to use both my history degree and Pathway to help find solutions for conflict. It may result in a funded internship my junior year, a specific study abroad program, or maybe even graduate school. The Peace and Conflict Pathway has allowed me to combine my passions, and will hopefully help me make the world a more peaceful place.