serves; not their home or their school, but a space where they can creatively learn and grow as writers and young adults. I will explore how 826LA successfully achieves being a “third space” for its students, and will examine where the organization falls short in its focus and mission. Humanizing Education Through the Arts: Peace, Justice, and Youth Leadership in Boston Katherine H. McCann ’15, Peace and Justice Studies; Luisa S. Reyes ’15, Economics; and Lauren E. Walsh ’14, Peace and Justice Studies Advisor: Soo Hong, Education What do rapping, murals, kites, and youth leadership-building have in common? As interdisciplinary curriculum designers and teaching specialists, we facilitated these explorations through the implementation of art, peace, and justice programming for elementary and middle-schooler students at seven St. Stephen’s Youth Programs summer camp sites in Boston and Chelsea. Our work, which centered on children’s understanding of their influence on their local and global communities, framed knowledge of self, community, world, and action as conduits for making the most of that personal influence and power. Students’ artwork and performances engaged the processes of envisioning the self as a role model, developing one’s message to the world, and looking to local communities as gardens that nurture and fuel human flight, while always calling one back to cultivate the soil. Wellesley College’s Stronger Communities, Stronger Schools organization continues this project. As individuals, we support innovative, humanizing, and communityfocused education.
From Theory to Practice: An Understanding of Vulnerable Populations in Boston (Panel) SCI 396 Victoria C. Rines ’15, Biological Sciences; Shelby A. Baptista ’15, Women’s and Gender Studies; Natalie Chaidez ’15, Latin American Studies; Bethany L. Cohen ’15, Psychology and Women’s and Gender
Studies; and Alison Z. Nikyar ’15, Neuroscience and Women’s and Gender Studies Advisor: Katie D. Koski, Center for Work and Service The term “vulnerable population” is often used as a theoretical category to define those who remain at increased risk. In today’s world, especially in urban communities, it seems that the plight of the vulnerable is increasingly characterized by struggles of poverty, ill-health, and inadequate educational opportunities. As part of the Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning, we actively observed many of these difficulties. Our direct service and behind-the-scenes work in Boston provided us with an opportunity to step beyond the theoretical and to move into a space where vulnerabilities were raw and exposed. As we integrated into the urban communities we served and witnessed the challenges of poverty, domestic violence, and discrimination, a more practical understanding of the concept of vulnerability emerged. We will discuss how our internships and seminars changed our views of cities and their populations to deepen and clarify our classroom experiences.
Strengthening Urban Infrastructure and Health SCI 104 China’s Housing Market: Is There a Bubble Ready to Burst? Yuhe Zhang ’14, International Relations-Economics Advisor: Jennifer Thomas-Starck, International Studies During my semester in China at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, I studied the country’s economic development since the formation of the People’s Republic of China. With the 2008 United States recession still fresh on most people’s minds, real estate is a hot topic of discussion, with many speculating that there is a bubble in the Chinese housing market. There seems to be good evidence to support this claim. t h e
The Chinese population has been urbanizing quickly, thereby increasing the demand for housing in urban areas. With this increase in demand, the real estate market has boomed, and housing prices have been increasing exponentially within the last ten years. I will utilize research and data on prices in different cities, and conclude whether there will be a bursting bubble in the near economic future in China. Yuca, Tepuys, and Rainbows: A Summer in Rural Venezuela Emma R. Howey ’16, Undeclared Advisor: Elizabeth L. Davis, Geosciences There were no roads in or out; the only way was by plane. I spent June and July living and working in Uriman, an indigenous community in southeastern Venezuela. Alongside my four counterparts, I led public-health workshops and painted village buildings, addressing tangible community needs. Some things were less tangible, like my relationships with local children and neighbors. One 24-year-old friend, Maria, became a second sister. She’s bright, ambitious, and hardworking, so much of what defines a Wellesley woman. But Maria already has three daughters and she won’t finish high school, let alone attend college. This summer, I saw the harsh consequences of a life with different opportunities. I came to Uriman armed with years of academics, but I returned with an awareness of what it means to live. I want to take you there, too. Women Deserve Choice: Championing Reproductive Justice from the Heart of Its Movement Beatriz Aldereguia ’14, Spanish Advisor: Maria D. Natividad, Women’s and Gender Studies Serving nearly 5 million individuals worldwide each year, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) stands today as the nation’s leading provider of sex education and high-quality, affordable healthcare for women, men, and young people. This summer I had the privilege of con-
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