Beyond Boundaries FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
We're Back! The long-awaited return of in personlearning has finally arrived! With the return of our students, the energy on campus has returned in full force. This month, we celebrate Black History Month, Lunar New Year, and much more, all in snowy weather!
IN THE NEWS An Emerging Cohort Congratulations to the 30 incoming students who got into the Beyond Boundaries program as part of Early Decision admissions! You've worked hard to get here, and we're excited for all of you to join our family. Looking forward for more students to complete the Class of '26 cohort and for us to hear your unique stories!
Creative Collaborations The Creative Collaborations initiative, hosted through the Beyond Boundaries Program, just received a new round of applicants! As part of the initiative, students across disciplines are encouraged to collaborate on a creative capstone project that fuses their varied skillsets. Past projects include a stopmotion film, a text illustrating the inequalities of St. Louis, and a quilt inspired by Shel Silverstein's works. Learn more about the initiative here, and look out for a new round of projects to be announced this Spring!
Guest Visit - Susan Grigsby This month, the cohort of '25 had the honor of meeting Susan Grigsby, an author and teacher who has published award-winning books In the Garden with Dr. Carver and First Peas to the Table. During her visit, Susan employed a series of creative writing exercises to help students better capture the essence of their big question. Susan's visit is one part of the semester-long speaker series that will teach Program student how to better articulate their "big question" to themselves, each other, and post-grad employers.
WHAT'S YOUR STORY? WashU prides itself on knowing the names and stories of every student. Beyond Boundaries students are also asked to share their big question, a question too big to be answered by the tools of just one discipline, when they apply. This month, we sit down with Ranen Miao, who was recently announced as a finalist for the Truman Scholarship, to hear his story.
RANEN MIAO Edison, New Jersey Class of 2023 WHAT'S YOUR BIG QUESTION? My big question is thinking about effective methods to create public service programs, and how to better represent people using governmental structures. And just to contextualize how I got here: when I started, I was interested specifically in the environment because I thought it was a very interdisciplinary issue that will impact our generation. But I’ve since learned that a core part of environmental studies and how we combat climate change is through the use of policy. Based on that, I’ve taken a broader approach on understanding how public policy shapes the outcomes of advocacy and social issues. At WashU, I’ve attempted to answer my big question through both academic means, as well as participating in public service. On the academic front, majoring in political science, women and gender studies, and sociology has given me a wide range of coursework to supplement my understanding of policy and collective action.
Specific courses through the Beyond Boundaries Program, like “When I’m 64”, taught me about often-neglected issues like ageism. Specifically, how access to social security benefits and disability resources affect elderly populations. I also try to take courses within disciplines outside of my majors, like courses within the Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies, to broaden my awareness to not just domestic, but also global issues. Some of the most enriching experiences, however, were the ones outside of the classroom. Getting involved in the United States Congress, working for the American Civil Liberties Union, the Federal State Department, and the Center of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion have all been ways for me to apply knowledge from the classroom to the real world.
NOW, THE QUESTION THAT’S ON EVERYONE’S MIND, HOW DO YOU DO IT ALL? Well… I think I’ve always been a busy body. Doing a lot has always felt fulfilling to me, because it allowed me to explore so many different hobbies and interests. To me, looking at issues in a multifaceted way has always been the message at the core of the Beyond Boundaries Program; sometimes, that means having to pile on the coursework and the experiential learning pieces. And the thing about political or social issues is that it doesn't just involve policy or activism. It also involves communications work, like social media and writing; it includes direct action like meeting those in power and getting a seat at the table; and sometimes it means working on the logistics like fundraising. So, to get back to the question, the reason I do so much is because I feel like everything I do is connected at the core. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m some machine that doesn’t feel stress. Between the coursework, research, club activities, and leadership, there’s definitely been times where I’ve felt extremely overwhelmed. What it comes down to is having an extremely meticulous calendar, and being efficient with my time. By having an organized calendar, and controlling what I do with my time (limiting my use of tiktok, for example), I’m able to free up time for other responsibilities. That’s not to say I don’t let myself have free time. The reason I’m able to do so much, and the reason I haven’t burnt out yet, is because I intentionally schedule blocks of free time into my schedule: time to hang out with friends, or just time for rest.
ANY ADVICE FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS? Sure! The first thing that comes to mind is to truly embrace the idea behind Beyond Boundaries. I think it’s important to actually take classes in a wide variety of fields, as my college experience has definitely been enriched by my own exploration. Secondly, I think all students should take time for themselves. I know some people might think that’s ironic coming from me, but it’s true. Before I get to any of my academic responsibilities, I first guarantee the stability of my physical and mental health: I get 7.5 hours of sleep a night, I eat all three meals, I hang out with friends throughout the week, and I go on tik tok just like any other student. I think it’s important for anyone to identify the things that recharge them, and to make time for those activities. Finally, I think everyone should reflect on what they want to do. A lot of high-schoolers, before college, only think about getting into the best college, without really reflecting on what they want to do. They adopt these highly performance and profit-driven beliefs, instead of trying to live purpose-driven lives. So while careers like consulting and investment banking offer a relatively stable path to income, I encourage students to thoroughly reflect what they find most fulfilling during their academic journeys.
PRACTICUM STUDENT HIGHLIGHT This semester, the Beyond Boundaries Program administrative team is welcoming a new member! Join me as I sit down with Bixuan Hu, a Practicum student from the Brown School of Social Work.
BIXUAN HU Shanghai, China Candidate for Masters of Social Work
HOW DID YOU GET TO WHERE YOU ARE? Sure! I completed my undergraduate studies in China, at Shanghai University. My major was in sociology, which was really interesting to me, but I felt what I learned in courses was always too theoretical. The professors focused a lot on why social issues existed, but rarely covered methods of solving these issues. Hence, I wanted to attend a grad school program that would allow me more room for action, and enable me to apply my theoretical frameworks. I chose WashU because of the Brown School’s Social Work program, mainly because of its international renown, as well as the personal support grad students receive.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE PROGRAM?
What's in this
newsletter: During my undergrad, I attended lots of programs designed to develop our leadership skills, and the Beyond Boundaries Program stood out as an opportunity to continue my SEASONAL leadership development. This time, though, I was excited to be standing on the other HOME VALUES side of the classroom and join as an administrative assistant. Right now, my role within PEAK- 3 the Program is to both assess and evaluate the progress of Beyond Boundaries students. For example, I’m currently collecting data on the courses and areas of studies for third-year students (the inaugural cohort); I’m also analyzing that data to see how these students’ course choices have changed over time, essentially tracking their academic paths from their first year to where they are now.
WHAT’S YOUR BIG QUESTION? Well, to be honest, when I first started out as a freshman, I didn’t really have a focus. I’m guessing my undergraduate school was similar to WashU in the fact that it had a pretty open curriculum. I chose to take some courses within the Sociology department initially because the school was known for its Sociology program, but I began to really enjoy the subject. After finishing my undergraduate studies, I realized that my future lay in going abroad, since the subject of Social Work is still in its infancy within China. Ultimately, there’s two big issues I really want to examine. The first is poverty, and specifically poverty within developing areas like rural China. The root causes of poverty was something I focused on during my undergraduate studies, and how nations address poverty differently based on its roots. The U.S., for example, is a wealthy nation that should theoretically experience little poverty.
Hence, much of poverty in the U.S. stems from racial inequality. China, on the other hand, is still a developing nation, and much of its poverty is combatted through broad-based economic development policies. The second big question is how we can implement community-based, sustainable development initiatives. And what that means is essentially finding ways to give local citizens the tools to tackle their own challenges. In terms of how that applies to the Beyond Boundaries Program, I’m currently working on ways to connect different cohorts of Program students to each other. I hope that gives you some perspective on who I am and what I do, and I’m really excited to be working closely with the Program!
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