Student Snapshot: Sadie Fowler ’22

Sadie Fowler

Sadie Fowler ’22 is a double major in international and educational studies and USAWC tutor who enjoys hawk watching in her spare time. Last year and this past summer, she conducted security-studies research at the U.S. Army War College. Below, she discusses what she learned about how to cultivate happiness, the prime hawk-watching spot near Dickinson's campus and more.

Hometown:

Quakertown, Pennsylvania.

Majors:

International studies and educational studies, with a minor in Italian.

Clubs and organizations:

ESL tutor with the U.S. Army War College and Dickinson Christian Fellowship.

Honors/scholarships/awards:

Kappa Delta Pi.

Favorite books:

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and Pied Piper by Neville Shute.

Favorite movies:

Anything by Mel Brooks, Jojo Rabbit, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

On choosing Dickinson:

I chose Dickinson because of the small size and faculty-to-student ratio. Community has been important to me since middle school, as my school divided students into blue or white teams, which allowed the teachers to get to know the students more personally. I wanted a college with a similar tight-knit community where I could build connections with the faculty and staff, and I definitely found it through my advisors, professors and friends.

Favorite place on campus:

Morgan Field, when it’s nice outside, or the Bösendorfer practice room in Weiss.

Favorite class:

I really enjoy my education classes with Assistant Professor of Educational Studies Kirk Anderson. He has us meditate for the first five minutes of class. It helps ground us for the class and helps us let go of stressors and day-to-day concerns. On occasion we do guided loving-kindness mediations, and I have really enjoyed adopting these practices into my daily routine. In particular, my curriculum theory class helped to shape my ideas of education and was helpful during my internship, when I revised curriculum in my hometown school district.

As a kid, I wanted to be …

… a teacher or wildlife detective. I guess I really liked Zoboomafu on PBS.

About my internship:

I completed two internships with the United States Army War College (USAWC), one during the 2019-20 academic year and one during summer 2020. The connection between Dickinson and the USAWC is extraordinary, and it’s an amazing opportunity for undergraduate students to work with professionals and expand their network in the field of international studies and political science. Thanks to my internships, I have gained valuable skills for research and data analysis as well as an interest in Arctic policies and security.

Little-known hobby/talent:

I enjoy hawk watching! Waggoner’s Gap [near Dickinson’s campus] is an Audubon hawk watch site, and it is one of my favorite places to watch the hawk migrations. During the quarantine, there were three bald eagles in our backyard for a few days.

About my research:

During the 2019-20 academic year, I worked on a team in the Center for Strategic Leadership to develop International Strategic Negotiation Exercises (ISCNE) and Joint Land, Air, Sea Strategy Exercises (JLASS) for Western Sahara and the Arctic. ISCNE is a small-scale diplomatic simulation. Graduate student delegates are divided into multiple country teams which represent a nation or interested global actor at a simulated peace conference. JLASS is a five-month war gaming elective for USAWC students and their counterparts at the Naval, Air, Marine Corps war colleges and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Part of our internship included traveling to conferences to see an ISCNE in action. I visited Penn State’s School of International Affairs and observed the ISCNE for Jammu/Kashmir.

During summer 2020, I worked in the Department of Educational Methodology, where I generated Request for Information (RFIs) and literature reviews for resources and beneficial collaborative annotative tools for the college to implement. In addition, I assisted with the survey instruments for the department to collect data on readability statistics of the students at the college.

Memorable accomplishment:

Getting my driver’s license on the first try, despite being rear-ended by a tractor trailer and needing to learn how to parallel park a manual car the day of my test.

Best thing about my major:

I love the community feel of the international studies, educational studies and Italian departments. I look forward to when I can (safely) walk into the Educational Studies House and Althouse to say hi to the best academic department coordinators (hi, Sheri and Laura!) and lose at tombola during an Italian department event.

Most important thing I’ve learned so far:

Be yourself. College is a great time to explore your interests and find people who share the same interests. I think it’s really easy to get caught up in how you think others are perceiving your college experience, and I’ve learned that no matter how many friends you make or organizations you join, you are responsible for your own happiness and well-being. That comes from being yourself and doing what you love.

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Published March 14, 2021