Lindsay Henkelman '12

2011 Soar Student

“Working on a SOAR project allowed me to see my idea for a sociological research project come to life. It also showed me the difficulties that researchers experience through their projects.”

Hometown: Homer, Alaska

Major(s): Sociology/Law and Society

Activities: Vice President of Student Body, President of Sociology Club, and  Alpha Sigma Alpha Treasurer

Project: Scholastic Success for Rural Alaskan Youth Faculty

Advisor: Dr. Virginia Adams O’Connell

Goal: To look at the relationship between high school seniors to the experiences of current college students from rural areas of Alaska.

What I learned: I learned that many of the experiences and expectation were similar regardless of the region of Alaska that the individuals came from. I gained a better understanding of individual struggles in pursuing higher education because of their different lifestyles.

Future plans: I would like to attend law school in the fall of 2012 and later go back to Alaska to work for a native organization in corporate law and community development.

Anything else you’d like us to know: Although we think we can learn about different cultures from the books we read or the classes we take, we cannot truly learn about the people and get a sense of their lives without interacting with their society. The times I was able to interact with the sample population in their villages in Alaska gave me a better understanding of what can influence their success better than any numbers can tell me.