January 30, 2024 • 14 mins
Chancellor May sits down with third-year student Dheera Dusanapudi in this episode. Dheera is an international studies major and is the student lead of the Human Rights Studies program Article 26 Backpack, which assists and advocates for refugee students and their right to education. Chancellor May asks her about lessons she's learned from her humanitarian work and plans after graduation.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:02):
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to “Face to Face,” a UC Davis podcast
featuring students, staff and faculty innovators.
I’m your host, Chancellor Gary May.
Stay tuned for my next guest.
Hi, my name is Dheera Dusanapudi,
and I’m a junior here at UC Davis
studying international relations and
(00:24):
religious studies.
At Davis, I’ve been able to pursue
my passion of serving and supporting
refugee communities.
I am the student lead of the Human
Rights Studies Program Article 26
Backpack, which advocates for
refugee students’ human right to
education wherever they may be.
Dheera, welcome to “Face to Face.”
(00:44):
Thank you. It’s great to be here.
Well, thank you for being here with
us. I’m glad to have you on the show
to talk about your humanitarian work
around the world.
One of the reasons you chose UC
Davis, I understand, was because of
the Article 26 Backpack program.
Can you talk a little bit about the
program and the work that you’re
doing?
Yeah, absolutely.
So as you mentioned, I did choose
Davis in large part because of the
(01:06):
program, because the program offers
this really extraordinary experience
to normal, undergraduate students
like me — and like a lot of my
classmates — to really get involved
in hands-on, humanitarian work in
a way that you don’t really get with
a lot of other programs.
So Article 26 Backpack
actually recruits students directly
from undergraduate communities here
at Davis.
And they’re recruited into
(01:27):
sort of these broad
program teams that sort of work
with students and refugee students
all across the world — from Armenia
to Rwanda — to sort of support
refugee students’ right to
education.
And what that looks like, from a
very practical standpoint,
is sort of supporting these refugee
students’ right to documentation.
When a refugee student is forced to
(01:48):
flee from maybe their home country
to a host country, they have a lot
of things on their mind.
And maybe the top of their mind
isn’t always concerns about, did I
bring my transcripts?
Did I bring my diploma?
All of these really small, important
things that end up really
hindering their access to higher
education in the future.
So what we at Article 26 Backpack
do is provide refugee
(02:10):
students a platform to allow them
to store and sort of upload their
documents.
That is so impressive and so needed
in this day and age.
Can you tell us what opportunities
and resources that you found in
human rights studies here at Davis?
Yeah, absolutely.
So human rights studies has really
been a sort of home for me
since I first got here.
I already sort of had an inkling
(02:30):
that I knew I would want to minor in
human rights studies, but, you know,
I think the very first human rights
studies class I took — there was a
quarter I actually took three human
rights classes just
back-to-back-to-back.
And I was thinking, oh, you know,
maybe this is going to be too much.
Back when I didn’t know a lot about
human rights studies, I was like,
oh, maybe they’re really going to
cover a lot of the same information.
But I got there and every single
(02:50):
day my class — my mind was
consistently blown in all of those
classes, because we would talk about
human rights in Asia and human
rights in Latin America and,
you know, Indigenous rights and
maybe even issues about genocide
and mass atrocity.
And I would realize, not only
how wide-ranging all of these issues
are, but also just how many
incredible people there are working
in every country around the world,
(03:12):
doing the really unsung work that
really helps just ordinary people
defend their rights, protect their
lives, and keep them and their
family safe. So, human rights
studies has really been a source of
inspiration for me.
And I’ve met some of my
most amazing classmates from
there as well.
That’s a great segue into my next
question. ... Awesome. ...
Why do you think it’s important for
our students to study human rights
(03:32):
and humanitarian work?
And what role do you think
these studies have to play in the
really complex and sometimes
distant, human rights
issues that we face today?
Absolutely. That’s a great question.
So for Backpack, occasionally I have
to give presentations.
And one of my favorite classes to
give presentations to is Human
Rights 1, because it’s this giant
class with hundreds of students.
(03:53):
And my favorite thing about that
class is that a lot of the students
aren’t necessarily political science
majors or international relations
majors, where you would really
expect, you know, oh, this sort of
makes sense with you topically with
your field of study.
But you have a lot of majors
like engineering majors, chemical
science majors, all sorts of
different, sort of fields and
disciplines.
And these students are really
(04:14):
brought here just because they’re
curious, because they’re interested.
It’s a term they’ve heard used
before, and they want to learn more
about it. And that’s so exciting to
me, that people are starting to say,
oh, you know, this is a really
interdisciplinary field.
This is really important.
If I’m going to go into the medical
field, I need to know a lot about
human rights because it’s important
that I pursue this profession
ethically.
So I think that having this
(04:35):
department here — where it’s not
major-restricted, where anyone
can sort of take classes from that
department — is so extraordinary,
because I think it really emphasizes
that human rights is something that
can and should pervade really every
aspect of the way we interact with
each other.
And like you mentioned, sometimes
these issues can feel so distant, so
far away.
I know especially as an
undergraduate, you have the sense of
(04:56):
being a very young person, and you
think (04:57):
I’m limited
in maybe what I can do.
But I think human rights studies
really proves to you that education
is as much a tool as any
form of protest or activism, and
that if we have the opportunity to
educate ourselves on these issues,
we should take it.
That’s all really true.
I think even us engineers have to
broaden our horizons and learn about
some of these issues and be able to
contribute to the world in different ways.
(05:19):
... And vice versa. Absolutely. ...
Yeah, yeah.
I understand that last summer
you had an internship at a refugee
agency in D.C.
Can you tell us about that
experience, and what you did to
learn about communications regarding
these refugee crises?
Absolutely. So I interned for USA
for UNHCR, which is the U.N.
branch that handles sort of refugee
(05:40):
issues and advocacy around refugee
communities.
So what I did was, as
a communications intern, I really
looked into this sort of complex
dilemma that I think a lot of
humanitarian communications
professionals face, which is
the refugee crises and displacement
crises are so complex.
And everyday people who obviously
want to empower to speak out on
(06:00):
behalf of their refugee neighbors —
maybe they’re refugees themselves —
we want to empower them.
But we also want to recognize they
have a lot going on in their own
lives. And we never want to let our
advocacy be a platform for
us to say, oh, this is something you
should care about but you’re not,
and really creating that messaging
of guilt. That’s definitely not
where you want to go with that
communication.
You really want to be able to say,
(06:21):
this is something that matters to
you. This is something that matters
to your community, that actually
does affect your daily life.
So figuring out how to break through
I guess the typical saturation
of messaging we have — you know,
every day around the world and say,
hey, this is something that really
matters, that really affects
the way we live as a country
morally — was really
my task that summer, which is very
(06:42):
broad. But also I did databases and
spreadsheets and stuff like that.
Yeah.
Sounds like you got a lot out of the
experience.
It was absolutely incredible.
Good, good. ... Yeah. ...
Well, based on all this, what do you
see yourself doing after graduation?
You know, that’s a great question.
I have this conversation with my
parents at the dinner table every
time I visit, and I feel like my
answer switches every time.
I’m not entirely sure.
Grad school is always on the table,
(07:04):
of course.
But I think my internship really
also solidified for me that
something that really matters to me
is being able to “work in the
field” wherever that
may be, and just sort of understand
what I as a person with my
privilege — sort of with my
positionality and also my
sort of educational background — can
really do to serve and support these
(07:24):
displaced communities.
So I’m starting to lean toward
maybe entering the job field after
undergrad and just
really getting some experience and
recognizing, oh, this is something
that I didn’t learn that I really
need to learn before I go to grad
school. And being able to ensure
that the next segments of my
education are really reflecting
on-the-ground realities.
Well whether you go directly to
(07:44):
graduate school or into an
employment situation, why do you
think it’s important to continue
this humanitarian work?
Absolutely.
I think that’s a great question
because I think ultimately, in the
end, specifically regarding
my work in displacement:
Displacement is something that is
going to affect us all.
I think sometimes as
Americans or I guess as
consumers of American media, we have
(08:05):
this tendency to think that
displacement is a very
geographically limited issue.
It only happens in certain segments
of the world. But, you know, I’m a
Northern California local.
I grew up 45 minutes away.
And I know the impact
that wildfires have on Californians.
I know the impact that typhoons and
floodings and hurricanes have on
Americans. Displacement is
a reality. It is a lived reality.
(08:27):
And it’s going to start affecting
everyone in the world very soon.
And I think that’s what really
provides urgency to my work.
Those are some great examples of how
it can affect us even here in
California. ... Absolutely,
absolutely. ...
I want to change gears a little bit.
Do something fun. ...
Absolutely. ... We have a segment on
“Face to Face,” which we call the
“Hot Seat.” ... OK.
Great. ... And what the “Hot Seat”
is — I’ll ask you some rapid-fire
(08:48):
questions. ...
OK. ... I’m looking for a one-word
or one- sentence, really brief
answer. ... Absolutely. ...
You ready to go?
... Let’s do it. ... OK. Here we go.
Favorite class you’ve
taken at UC Davis?
Oh, I just took a
seminar on Islamic law, gender and
authority. And it was three hours a
week, and I thought I would be
absolutely exhausted.
But I loved that class, because it
was just, like, 12 people.
(09:08):
So I got to sort of hear my
classmates’ opinions and sort of
understand where they were thinking
and what their reasoning was.
And I just felt really connected and
really tight as a class, which was
such a unique experience.
Great. You want to give your professor a plug?
Yeah. Professor Syed.
... OK. ... Yeah.
... If you could meet anyone, alive
or not, who would it be and why?
(09:28):
Oh, that is such a difficult
question, but I think that
maybe one of the first women
that come to mind.
When I was in high school, I took a
debate class, and we were supposed
to sort of give a speech about
anything.
And my mom is this huge
fan of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Absolutely huge.
I like grew up on listening
(09:48):
to stories of everything she did for
women’s equality at home and
internationally.
So I gave this speech on Eleanor
Roosevelt. And I think if I could
meet anyone dead or alive, she would
probably have to be pretty high up
there, because she was working in
a very difficult context,
just in terms of, you know, being a
woman, being a woman in politics.
But she was able to accomplish
what she accomplished with just this
(10:09):
pure tenacity and grit.
And I think that
moral courage is something I could
learn from.
That’s a really great answer.
And your mom will be proud.
Fingers crossed.
Best book you’ve read
recently?
Oh, gosh, I wish I had known these
questions beforehand, because now
I’m thinking, oh, I’m going to get
out of this interview
forgetting three things.
(10:30):
... Or any book that you’ve read.
Best book I’ve read
recently.
There is —
it is a bit of a more
serious book, absolutely.
But there is a book
I had to read for one of my human
rights studies class,
regarding the Rwandan genocide by
journalist Philip Gourevitch.
It was called, “We Wish to Inform
(10:50):
You That Tomorow We Will Be Killed
With Our Families.” It’s a very,
very serious topic, very somber.
But I thought it was written with
such compassion and dignity
for the victims of that horrible,
horrible atrocity.
I think it’s so difficult to discuss
these sort of issues without
becoming desensitized to them or
taking liberties.
So I love the way he led with
(11:10):
compassion.
That’s a great topic.
Did you ever see the movie “Hotel
Rwanda”?
I did not.
I’ve heard many, many good things
about it.
It’s a great movie.
It’s a little, I think
it came out in the 90s.
So it’s a little older, but I
recommend it if you get a chance.
... Absolutely. ...
Let’s see. Best spot to study on
campus?
I love this question because a lot
of people don’t actually know that
(11:31):
Mondavi opens for a few days
at the beginning of finals week, and
they give you free coffee.
Sometimes they give you free treats.
There’s a bit of classical music.
So I like to pretend I’m sort of
in an upscale, like little,
I don’t know, little resort and just
sort of grind on my
homework. But yeah.
First time I’ve heard that answer.
That’s a good one.
OK.
(11:51):
I ask all my guests this question.
What artist is at the top of your
playlist right now?
I love Florence and the Machine.
I run a lot, and I will just, like,
run just listening straight through
her albums. She’s the best.
Absolutely.
Good answer. How far do you run?
I’m a bit of a long-distance runner,
so I try to keep it maybe a bit
on the longer side.
Just sort of run till, like, my mind
(12:13):
shuts up a little bit, and I can
relax a little.
Yeah.
OK. You’re like my wife. She likes to
run 10 miles, half marathon.
Wonderful.
Yeah. I hope to see her run sometime.
I don’t do that.
OK, transition, time for you to ask
me anything you want to ask.
Absolutely.
So I was thinking about what
I should ask you.
And I know that you have this
extensive background in engineering,
(12:33):
which is absolutely fascinating to
me. I have a roommate who’s an
engineer, and we’re always asking
her to fix everything in the house
from top to bottom.
So that’s something I’ve always
admired about engineers, is that
sort of unique ability to address
a sort of situation in a way I
wouldn’t think about.
So I wanted to turn that on its side
and ask you, is there a humanities
or social sciences field that you
(12:53):
ever would have been interested in
studying and why?
Yeah, that really is a good
question.
I’ve always had an interest in
philosophy. ...
Absolutely. ... I read, you know,
Nietzsche and Kierkegaard
and all these philosophers.
And I think if I had
a social science or humanities
discipline, I would pick philosophy.
Very, very cool.
And then the other question I did
(13:15):
want to ask you, again, maybe a
little bit more serious is — as
someone who is in these human rights
classes, I’m also a double major in
religious studies. So a lot of times
in a lot of classes, we are talking
about topics that are really
sensitive and personal to so many of
my classmates, and maybe even the
instructor.
So I wanted to ask you, as someone
who is basically the biggest figure
in campus life, how would you
(13:36):
— or what advice would you give to
students who want to engage
in these sort of discussions around
really weighty and important
topics with either fellow
classmates, instructors, just
people in campus life?
It’s a really timely question, as
you can imagine, given world events.
We’ve all been engaging in these
kind of discussions.
I would say, what I try to do is
to have empathy and to be able to
(13:56):
put myself in the other person’s
place, give some space
for their point of view.
And then I would say, don’t always
be so certain that you’re right.
... Absolutely. ...
You know, allow some uncertainty
in your perspective and
some openness in your mind to allow
for some other perspectives to
help build what you think and what
you’ve learned. ...
(14:16):
Wonderful. ... So, those are my
answers.
Wonderful.
Well, I think that’s
it for today. We’re really glad
you’re able to come and talk with us
on “Face to Face.”... Such a pleasure. ...
I’m sure the audience enjoyed it
as well.
Thanks to everyone for listening.
Tune in next time on “Face to Face.”
Go, Ags!
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to “Face to Face,” a UC Davis podcast
featuring students, staff and faculty innovators.
I’m your host, Chancellor Gary May.
Stay tuned for my next guest.
Hi, my name is Dheera Dusanapudi,
and I’m a junior here at UC Davis
studying international relations and
(00:24):
religious studies.
At Davis, I’ve been able to pursue
my passion of serving and supporting
refugee communities.
I am the student lead of the Human
Rights Studies Program Article 26
Backpack, which advocates for
refugee students’ human right to
education wherever they may be.
Dheera, welcome to “Face to Face.”
(00:44):
Thank you. It’s great to be here.
Well, thank you for being here with
us. I’m glad to have you on the show
to talk about your humanitarian work
around the world.
One of the reasons you chose UC
Davis, I understand, was because of
the Article 26 Backpack program.
Can you talk a little bit about the
program and the work that you’re
doing?
Yeah, absolutely.
So as you mentioned, I did choose
Davis in large part because of the
(01:06):
program, because the program offers
this really extraordinary experience
to normal, undergraduate students
like me — and like a lot of my
classmates — to really get involved
in hands-on, humanitarian work in
a way that you don’t really get with
a lot of other programs.
So Article 26 Backpack
actually recruits students directly
from undergraduate communities here
at Davis.
And they’re recruited into
(01:27):
sort of these broad
program teams that sort of work
with students and refugee students
all across the world — from Armenia
to Rwanda — to sort of support
refugee students’ right to
education.
And what that looks like, from a
very practical standpoint,
is sort of supporting these refugee
students’ right to documentation.
When a refugee student is forced to
(01:48):
flee from maybe their home country
to a host country, they have a lot
of things on their mind.
And maybe the top of their mind
isn’t always concerns about, did I
bring my transcripts?
Did I bring my diploma?
All of these really small, important
things that end up really
hindering their access to higher
education in the future.
So what we at Article 26 Backpack
do is provide refugee
(02:10):
students a platform to allow them
to store and sort of upload their
documents.
That is so impressive and so needed
in this day and age.
Can you tell us what opportunities
and resources that you found in
human rights studies here at Davis?
Yeah, absolutely.
So human rights studies has really
been a sort of home for me
since I first got here.
I already sort of had an inkling
(02:30):
that I knew I would want to minor in
human rights studies, but, you know,
I think the very first human rights
studies class I took — there was a
quarter I actually took three human
rights classes just
back-to-back-to-back.
And I was thinking, oh, you know,
maybe this is going to be too much.
Back when I didn’t know a lot about
human rights studies, I was like,
oh, maybe they’re really going to
cover a lot of the same information.
But I got there and every single
(02:50):
day my class — my mind was
consistently blown in all of those
classes, because we would talk about
human rights in Asia and human
rights in Latin America and,
you know, Indigenous rights and
maybe even issues about genocide
and mass atrocity.
And I would realize, not only
how wide-ranging all of these issues
are, but also just how many
incredible people there are working
in every country around the world,
(03:12):
doing the really unsung work that
really helps just ordinary people
defend their rights, protect their
lives, and keep them and their
family safe. So, human rights
studies has really been a source of
inspiration for me.
And I’ve met some of my
most amazing classmates from
there as well.
That’s a great segue into my next
question. ... Awesome. ...
Why do you think it’s important for
our students to study human rights
(03:32):
and humanitarian work?
And what role do you think
these studies have to play in the
really complex and sometimes
distant, human rights
issues that we face today?
Absolutely. That’s a great question.
So for Backpack, occasionally I have
to give presentations.
And one of my favorite classes to
give presentations to is Human
Rights 1, because it’s this giant
class with hundreds of students.
(03:53):
And my favorite thing about that
class is that a lot of the students
aren’t necessarily political science
majors or international relations
majors, where you would really
expect, you know, oh, this sort of
makes sense with you topically with
your field of study.
But you have a lot of majors
like engineering majors, chemical
science majors, all sorts of
different, sort of fields and
disciplines.
And these students are really
(04:14):
brought here just because they’re
curious, because they’re interested.
It’s a term they’ve heard used
before, and they want to learn more
about it. And that’s so exciting to
me, that people are starting to say,
oh, you know, this is a really
interdisciplinary field.
This is really important.
If I’m going to go into the medical
field, I need to know a lot about
human rights because it’s important
that I pursue this profession
ethically.
So I think that having this
(04:35):
department here — where it’s not
major-restricted, where anyone
can sort of take classes from that
department — is so extraordinary,
because I think it really emphasizes
that human rights is something that
can and should pervade really every
aspect of the way we interact with
each other.
And like you mentioned, sometimes
these issues can feel so distant, so
far away.
I know especially as an
undergraduate, you have the sense of
(04:56):
being a very young person, and you
think (04:57):
I’m limited
in maybe what I can do.
But I think human rights studies
really proves to you that education
is as much a tool as any
form of protest or activism, and
that if we have the opportunity to
educate ourselves on these issues,
we should take it.
That’s all really true.
I think even us engineers have to
broaden our horizons and learn about
some of these issues and be able to
contribute to the world in different ways.
(05:19):
... And vice versa. Absolutely. ...
Yeah, yeah.
I understand that last summer
you had an internship at a refugee
agency in D.C.
Can you tell us about that
experience, and what you did to
learn about communications regarding
these refugee crises?
Absolutely. So I interned for USA
for UNHCR, which is the U.N.
branch that handles sort of refugee
(05:40):
issues and advocacy around refugee
communities.
So what I did was, as
a communications intern, I really
looked into this sort of complex
dilemma that I think a lot of
humanitarian communications
professionals face, which is
the refugee crises and displacement
crises are so complex.
And everyday people who obviously
want to empower to speak out on
(06:00):
behalf of their refugee neighbors —
maybe they’re refugees themselves —
we want to empower them.
But we also want to recognize they
have a lot going on in their own
lives. And we never want to let our
advocacy be a platform for
us to say, oh, this is something you
should care about but you’re not,
and really creating that messaging
of guilt. That’s definitely not
where you want to go with that
communication.
You really want to be able to say,
(06:21):
this is something that matters to
you. This is something that matters
to your community, that actually
does affect your daily life.
So figuring out how to break through
I guess the typical saturation
of messaging we have — you know,
every day around the world and say,
hey, this is something that really
matters, that really affects
the way we live as a country
morally — was really
my task that summer, which is very
(06:42):
broad. But also I did databases and
spreadsheets and stuff like that.
Yeah.
Sounds like you got a lot out of the
experience.
It was absolutely incredible.
Good, good. ... Yeah. ...
Well, based on all this, what do you
see yourself doing after graduation?
You know, that’s a great question.
I have this conversation with my
parents at the dinner table every
time I visit, and I feel like my
answer switches every time.
I’m not entirely sure.
Grad school is always on the table,
(07:04):
of course.
But I think my internship really
also solidified for me that
something that really matters to me
is being able to “work in the
field” wherever that
may be, and just sort of understand
what I as a person with my
privilege — sort of with my
positionality and also my
sort of educational background — can
really do to serve and support these
(07:24):
displaced communities.
So I’m starting to lean toward
maybe entering the job field after
undergrad and just
really getting some experience and
recognizing, oh, this is something
that I didn’t learn that I really
need to learn before I go to grad
school. And being able to ensure
that the next segments of my
education are really reflecting
on-the-ground realities.
Well whether you go directly to
(07:44):
graduate school or into an
employment situation, why do you
think it’s important to continue
this humanitarian work?
Absolutely.
I think that’s a great question
because I think ultimately, in the
end, specifically regarding
my work in displacement:
Displacement is something that is
going to affect us all.
I think sometimes as
Americans or I guess as
consumers of American media, we have
(08:05):
this tendency to think that
displacement is a very
geographically limited issue.
It only happens in certain segments
of the world. But, you know, I’m a
Northern California local.
I grew up 45 minutes away.
And I know the impact
that wildfires have on Californians.
I know the impact that typhoons and
floodings and hurricanes have on
Americans. Displacement is
a reality. It is a lived reality.
(08:27):
And it’s going to start affecting
everyone in the world very soon.
And I think that’s what really
provides urgency to my work.
Those are some great examples of how
it can affect us even here in
California. ... Absolutely,
absolutely. ...
I want to change gears a little bit.
Do something fun. ...
Absolutely. ... We have a segment on
“Face to Face,” which we call the
“Hot Seat.” ... OK.
Great. ... And what the “Hot Seat”
is — I’ll ask you some rapid-fire
(08:48):
questions. ...
OK. ... I’m looking for a one-word
or one- sentence, really brief
answer. ... Absolutely. ...
You ready to go?
... Let’s do it. ... OK. Here we go.
Favorite class you’ve
taken at UC Davis?
Oh, I just took a
seminar on Islamic law, gender and
authority. And it was three hours a
week, and I thought I would be
absolutely exhausted.
But I loved that class, because it
was just, like, 12 people.
(09:08):
So I got to sort of hear my
classmates’ opinions and sort of
understand where they were thinking
and what their reasoning was.
And I just felt really connected and
really tight as a class, which was
such a unique experience.
Great. You want to give your professor a plug?
Yeah. Professor Syed.
... OK. ... Yeah.
... If you could meet anyone, alive
or not, who would it be and why?
(09:28):
Oh, that is such a difficult
question, but I think that
maybe one of the first women
that come to mind.
When I was in high school, I took a
debate class, and we were supposed
to sort of give a speech about
anything.
And my mom is this huge
fan of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Absolutely huge.
I like grew up on listening
(09:48):
to stories of everything she did for
women’s equality at home and
internationally.
So I gave this speech on Eleanor
Roosevelt. And I think if I could
meet anyone dead or alive, she would
probably have to be pretty high up
there, because she was working in
a very difficult context,
just in terms of, you know, being a
woman, being a woman in politics.
But she was able to accomplish
what she accomplished with just this
(10:09):
pure tenacity and grit.
And I think that
moral courage is something I could
learn from.
That’s a really great answer.
And your mom will be proud.
Fingers crossed.
Best book you’ve read
recently?
Oh, gosh, I wish I had known these
questions beforehand, because now
I’m thinking, oh, I’m going to get
out of this interview
forgetting three things.
(10:30):
... Or any book that you’ve read.
Best book I’ve read
recently.
There is —
it is a bit of a more
serious book, absolutely.
But there is a book
I had to read for one of my human
rights studies class,
regarding the Rwandan genocide by
journalist Philip Gourevitch.
It was called, “We Wish to Inform
(10:50):
You That Tomorow We Will Be Killed
With Our Families.” It’s a very,
very serious topic, very somber.
But I thought it was written with
such compassion and dignity
for the victims of that horrible,
horrible atrocity.
I think it’s so difficult to discuss
these sort of issues without
becoming desensitized to them or
taking liberties.
So I love the way he led with
(11:10):
compassion.
That’s a great topic.
Did you ever see the movie “Hotel
Rwanda”?
I did not.
I’ve heard many, many good things
about it.
It’s a great movie.
It’s a little, I think
it came out in the 90s.
So it’s a little older, but I
recommend it if you get a chance.
... Absolutely. ...
Let’s see. Best spot to study on
campus?
I love this question because a lot
of people don’t actually know that
(11:31):
Mondavi opens for a few days
at the beginning of finals week, and
they give you free coffee.
Sometimes they give you free treats.
There’s a bit of classical music.
So I like to pretend I’m sort of
in an upscale, like little,
I don’t know, little resort and just
sort of grind on my
homework. But yeah.
First time I’ve heard that answer.
That’s a good one.
OK.
(11:51):
I ask all my guests this question.
What artist is at the top of your
playlist right now?
I love Florence and the Machine.
I run a lot, and I will just, like,
run just listening straight through
her albums. She’s the best.
Absolutely.
Good answer. How far do you run?
I’m a bit of a long-distance runner,
so I try to keep it maybe a bit
on the longer side.
Just sort of run till, like, my mind
(12:13):
shuts up a little bit, and I can
relax a little.
Yeah.
OK. You’re like my wife. She likes to
run 10 miles, half marathon.
Wonderful.
Yeah. I hope to see her run sometime.
I don’t do that.
OK, transition, time for you to ask
me anything you want to ask.
Absolutely.
So I was thinking about what
I should ask you.
And I know that you have this
extensive background in engineering,
(12:33):
which is absolutely fascinating to
me. I have a roommate who’s an
engineer, and we’re always asking
her to fix everything in the house
from top to bottom.
So that’s something I’ve always
admired about engineers, is that
sort of unique ability to address
a sort of situation in a way I
wouldn’t think about.
So I wanted to turn that on its side
and ask you, is there a humanities
or social sciences field that you
(12:53):
ever would have been interested in
studying and why?
Yeah, that really is a good
question.
I’ve always had an interest in
philosophy. ...
Absolutely. ... I read, you know,
Nietzsche and Kierkegaard
and all these philosophers.
And I think if I had
a social science or humanities
discipline, I would pick philosophy.
Very, very cool.
And then the other question I did
(13:15):
want to ask you, again, maybe a
little bit more serious is — as
someone who is in these human rights
classes, I’m also a double major in
religious studies. So a lot of times
in a lot of classes, we are talking
about topics that are really
sensitive and personal to so many of
my classmates, and maybe even the
instructor.
So I wanted to ask you, as someone
who is basically the biggest figure
in campus life, how would you
(13:36):
— or what advice would you give to
students who want to engage
in these sort of discussions around
really weighty and important
topics with either fellow
classmates, instructors, just
people in campus life?
It’s a really timely question, as
you can imagine, given world events.
We’ve all been engaging in these
kind of discussions.
I would say, what I try to do is
to have empathy and to be able to
(13:56):
put myself in the other person’s
place, give some space
for their point of view.
And then I would say, don’t always
be so certain that you’re right.
... Absolutely. ...
You know, allow some uncertainty
in your perspective and
some openness in your mind to allow
for some other perspectives to
help build what you think and what
you’ve learned. ...
(14:16):
Wonderful. ... So, those are my
answers.
Wonderful.
Well, I think that’s
it for today. We’re really glad
you’re able to come and talk with us
on “Face to Face.”... Such a pleasure. ...
I’m sure the audience enjoyed it
as well.
Thanks to everyone for listening.
Tune in next time on “Face to Face.”
Go, Ags!
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