Student Profiles

News

Events

Publications & Other Media

Profiles

Alison Driver '08

Major: Environmental Studies and Gender and Women's Studies
Hometown: Seattle, Washington

Why did you choose to come to Bowdoin?
I was looking for an adventure, and going as far away from Seattle as possible seemed like a good plan. Maine provided the perfect setting: a faraway and exotic land, but with a familiar looking coastline and evergreens.

Why did you choose your major?
I made a list of all the classes in the Catalogue that sounded interesting, and I discovered that I wanted to take almost all of the requirements for both Gender and Women's Studies (GWS) and Environmental Studies (ES). This should have been a no-brainer. I was deeply involved in the activist community, and I was particularly interested in gender and environmental issues. When I announced my carefully considered decision to my friends, they informed that they'd figured out the ideal majors for me months earlier. I just wished they would've told me before I spent hours making the list....

What has been a course you especially enjoyed at Bowdoin?
Professor Aviva Briefel's class The Horror Film in Context rocked my world. We watched 14 horror films and read Victorian gothic novels. Analyzing zombie films and slasher flicks, we tried to understand what our culture finds scary and threatening and, more importantly, why these people, places, and themes make us shudder. I combined my interest in gender studies and Spanish to examine a Spanish horror film for my final paper. The class gave me a whole new set of tools to examine popular culture, not to mention several months of nightmares.

What professor or professors have especially inspired you during your time at Bowdoin?
Bowdoin has amazing professors. My honors project advisor, Professor Joe Bandy, guided me through the 18-month process of researching and writing my thesis. He pushed me to think critically about my topic, while encouraging me to stay hopeful and imagine an alternative future. Professor Jennifer Scanlon in the Gender and Women's Studies Program has inspired me to think more critically about issues of race, gender, class, and sexuality in my coursework and my activist work. Her guidance helped me make decisions about class choices, study abroad, and graduate school. Everyone should stop by her office hours at least once for a dose of her advice.

Have you engaged in any independent research while at Bowdoin?
Thanks to a Surdna research fellowship from Bowdoin, I spent the summer of 2007 in the Dominican Republic conducting ethnographic research about a small gender-focused community organization in the capital city. I focused on how the organization's relationship to its donors constrained its ability to implement a holistic, gender-focused vision for community development. The 18-month long process of selecting an honors topic, conducting fieldwork, reading and writing up my research allowed me to examine subjects that spark my interest. It also gave me a mechanism to reflect on my study abroad experience and stay connected to the organization that I worked with, despite being thousands of miles away.

What extracurricular or work experiences have you had at Bowdoin?
I was deeply involved in the activist community at Bowdoin. At one point during my sophomore year, I was participating in five activist groups. My deepest commitment was to the Bowdoin Women's Association (BWA). I served at the group's co-chair until last January when I turned over the reins to a crackerjack bunch of underclasswomen who will lead the group to untold glory.

Activism at Bowdoin has provided me with unique opportunities. I've led campaigns, organized trips to conferences, and made great friends. As a member of the Darfur Coalition, I traveled to Washington, D.C. with five other students for a rally to stop the genocide in April 2006. My on-campus jobs with the Women's Resource Center and Sustainable Bowdoin have been an extension of my activist work

Did you study abroad during your time at Bowdoin?
I studied abroad with CIEE in Dominican Republic during the spring of 2007. During my time in Santo Domingo, I began my research for my honors project, formed enduring friendships with Dominicans, and worked directly with a grassroots organization fighting poverty. My Spanish improved immeasurably. I'm looking forward to returning to the Dominican Republic this August when I begin serving with the Peace Corps.

What have you done during your summers?
Spending four years on the East Coast has been a great learning experience, but I'm a West Coast girl at heart. After my sophomore year, I worked as counselor for a girl's leadership program in the San Juan Islands in northwest Washington. I'm working there again this summer as the assistant director. I love working with middle school girls, and I'm looking forward to another summer in the San Juans.

During the summer after my junior year, a research fellowship from Bowdoin allowed me to stay in the Dominican Republic and continue my ethnographic research. It was an unforgettable summer, and my honors project would have floundered without it.

What is your best Bowdoin memory?
Growing up in Seattle, we only had a few days of snow a year. In contrast, Maine winters provide ample opportunities to play in the snow. I love to push friends into snow banks on the way to dinner, ambush people from behind buildings, and generally terrorize the folks I love most. On the more peaceful side, I'll never forget frolicking across the Quad after the first big snow. Once everyone is thoroughly soaked and freezing, hot drinks and a movie cut right through the cold. The winters were long, but the snow provided ample opportunity for fun.

What advice would you give to a prospective student or first-year about the Bowdoin experience?
Going to parties can be a great way to relax and have fun on the weekend, but Bowdoin has much more to offer. Take advantage of free movies offered by the Bowdoin Film Society, go to Portland, play ridiculous board games at Super Snack, build a snowman, go for walks or drink tea. With a little creativity, you can find tons of fun on crazy things to do on the weekend that don't involve drinking.

What quirky or fun thing did you wish you knew before you came to Bowdoin?
Don't be afraid of "chem.-free" housing. My friends who were finishing up their first years in college warned me that antisocial introverts dominated the chem.-free housing at their colleges. Bowdoin was the opposite. Despite living in a non-chem.-free dorm, I ended up spending all my time at the chem.-free dorm. I made friends with a fantastic group of introverts and extroverts, and many of those folks remain among my best friends at Bowdoin.

Story posted on June 17, 2008

« Back | More Student Profiles | Go to News Home