Social Justice by the Numbers
Student Snapshot: Marin Moore ’26
Marin Moore '26 is an award-winning double major in data analytics and women’s, gender & sexuality studies who volunteers for Dickinson's admissions department and began presenting original research to the campus community during her first year at Dickinson. She’s also a student-athlete and a member of Dickinson's theatre troupe who helps create costumes for theatrical productions. Below, Marin discusses her study-abroad experience, her ongoing research internship and the welcoming atmosphere she found at Dickinson.
Hometown:
Bel Air, Md.
Majors:
Data analytics and women’s, gender & sexuality studies.
Clubs and organizations:
Women’s varsity golf, Liberty Caps (tour guides), Admissions Volunteer Society, Data Analytics Majors’ Committee, Alpha Lambda Delta honors society, Iota Iota Iota National Honors Society, Mermaid Players (secretary) and costume studio.
Honors/scholarships/awards:
Presidential Scholarship; Dean’s List; 2023 Delaplaine McDaniel Prize; 2023 Waidner-Spahr Library Prize for Excellence in First Year Research; Research on Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Symposium (2023, 2024 presenter).
Best thing about my majors:
Women’s, gender & sexuality studies is an inherently interdisciplinary field that investigates interlocking systems of oppression and privilege to create a descriptive analysis of how society operates and can be improved. It is very relevant to the nonacademic world.
Similarly, data analytics is applicable to many other academic disciplines because it's integral to statistics and research. Dickinson students often combine a data analytics majors with majors in a variety of other academic departments.
On choosing Dickinson:
In addition to having fantastic programs in my majors, Dickinson’s community is incomparably welcoming. Through my interactions with admissions staff and counselors, and especially with Catherine Davenport ’87, I felt they wanted me personally—rather than just another student—to attend the college.
Favorite professor:
Associate Professor of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Katie Oliviero is my favorite professor. I have taken a class with her each of my four semesters at Dickinson so far, and I credit much of my academic success to her support and encouragement. She nominated me for the Waidner-Spahr Library Prize for Excellence in First Year Research; encouraged me to submit research projects for the Research on Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Symposium; and connected me with the Franklin & Marshall Global Barometers, the research team with which I am completing a summer and fall internship. I would not have had those academically valuable experiences without her.
Even though her 20-page syllabi are intimidating, they show how thoroughly she plans for each lesson and assignment before the semester begins. Her classes are challenging and thought-provoking and have made me fall in love with my major all over again.
On studying abroad:
I completed a globally integrated course called Living High: Food Literature and/as Culture in the Basque Country and traveled to San Sebastián, Spain, this past spring break with Associate Professor of Spanish Mark Aldrich and Senior Lecturer in Spanish Asuncion Arnedo. We visited the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, took a day trip to France, visited Basque art and cultural museums and attended cooking classes at the Basque Culinary Center. But the highlights of the trip were exploring San Sebastián with our professors and, in our free time, seeing daily life in the Spanish Basque country.
As I kid, I wanted to be …
… a professional golfer in the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association.
About my internship:
I'm completing a summer and fall internship with the Franklin & Marshall Global Barometers (FMGB), which gauges how much each country protects or persecutes LGBTQI+ people. The FMGB is predicated on data analysis of LGBTQI+ human rights and thus perfectly integrates my two majors. Through the internship, I have analyzed intersex rights through survey and policy data and investigated the correlation between a country’s protections for LGBQTI+ individuals and level of democracy, finding that while LGBTQI+ protections have increased globally in the past 10 years, global level of democracy has decreased. This experience has shown me how useful a data analytics background is to social science research, and the excitement I have for the work has proven that I want to pursue a career in data analysis for social justice.
Most important thing I’ve learned so far:
Asking for help is not just OK; sometimes, it’s necessary. Utilizing extensions on assignments, professors’ office hours, SOAR, the Wellness Center, the Office of Academic Advising & Student Success and other resources is often critical to balancing hectic college responsibilities.
Read more Student Snapshots.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published September 25, 2024