Ja Seng Ra Nkhum
Global Studies Portfolio
Global Studies Events
Global Studies students are required to attend a minimum of 9 events over the course of the year, one of which must be a religious event of a faith other than our own. For each event, students write a reflection that summarizes our thoughts and experiences. Below are the events I have attended so far!
October 24, 2025
UConn Sports & Human Rights Summit
As a major theme in the Global Studies Program, my understanding of human rights was framed with the idea that everyone, regardless of how they identified, should have all of the fundamental rights and freedoms as any other individual. In schools, human rights was taught as a broader topic that primarily concentrated on the BIPOC community and gender identification. I believe that what I've learned in schools has given me an understanding of the development of human rights. However, I still feel as though some groups aren't getting the same attention as others, and I think it's due to ignorance. Growing up, I watched the USWNT fight for equal pay through their 2019 World Cup campaign. With their win, they received global acknowledgement for highlighting the disparities in pay, and they paved a way for other countries to strive for getting what they're worth. Without it, I'm not sure they'd be getting the same publicity. The growth of human rights has been a result of increased media usage, and I think that without it, issues like these would not be getting the same recognition as they are now.
October 7, 2025
Bethel Woods
Before heading over to Bethel Woods, I had little knowledge of the Woodstock festival and the importance of music during this period. However during our week of prep, I was fascinated to learn about the significance of youth protests through Gloria Browne-Marshall's Code Switch podcast. The power of youth protesters serves as a symbol of united resistance, and I saw them especially through the videos and photos taken at Woodstock. Although technology wasn't as advanced to text people, it documented key moments that helped the festival gain attention. At Bethel, a piece that stood out to me was a displayed collection of handwritten notes. We not only got to witness the music through the media, but we also got to see the authentic writing among the people at Woodstock. Having preserved a historical piece like this serves as an emotional and meaningful part to reflect on.
September 9, 2025
A Tale of Two Kings: Saudi Arabia, Jordan
& the Future of the Middle East
Summer Reading 2025
If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and The Missing Revolution
Vincent Bevins book, If We Burn: The Mass Protests Decade and The Missing Revolution, explores how protest movements from the Arab Spring and Gezi Park to rebellions in Chile and Hong Kong---examining how people took charge to revolt with hopes of creating lasting change. I appreciated how Bevins connected stories from around the world to show that failure can always be seen as a learning experience. Although the book often felt dense, it inspired me to think beyond the standard practice of what real change could look like.
April 23, 2025
New York City Trip
The NYC trip allowed me to see the city from a different perspective than of a tourist. It enabled me to explore and search for the intersectionality of multiple cultures, and I saw that through the clothing worn and the languages spoken. The walking tour was a great way to expand our understanding of the city as it included food trucks of different cultural cuisines, as well a silent protest drawn in chalk around Columbus Circle. In addition to the tour, we got to see the Buena Vista Social Club, a well-done musical portraying the difference between wanting to build a career in America to staying in Cuba to be connected with ancestral history through the music, the dances, and the clothing.
April 4, 2025
Wadsworth Museum: Divine Geometry Exhibit
I attended the Wadsworth Museum with a focus to explore the Divine Geometry exhibit on Islamic art. During the time of the trip, I was reading My Name is Red for Asian Literature, an English elective course, which focused on the tension between traditional Islamic art and Western art. I thought it was fascinating seeing the connection between an academic class and a field trip, especially with the miniaturist paintings. A piece that stood out to me most was not physical, but was a video presentation of a group of horses and people in a scene of battle. In this specific work of art, the background and the characters were simple, yet intricate designs were placed on the clothing that they wore.
March 4, 2025
ADL Never is Now Conference
February 20, 2025
Oscar Nominated Short Documentaries
Preparing to watch the documentaries, I was aware that there would be some violence, but I wasn't fully prepared for the amount of brutality that some of the videos showed. Going from Instruments of a Beating Heart, a story about first graders preparing for a final end-of-year concert, to Incident, a collection of surveillance and body-cam footage that told the story of a police shooting, there was a major shift in the air. Exploring the Global Studies themes of human rights and technology & communication, Incident was my favorite because it was created with raw footage in a format that made it seem like the audience was a part of the story.
February 13, 2025
Digitally Invisible with Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee
The World Affairs Council of Connecticut invited Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee to talk about her new book Digitally Invisible. I initially thought that this event would focus on the cons of technology, but I soon learned that it was on how technology can be an important part of one's life. Dr. Tuner-Lee talked about a high school boy whose family only had 1 laptop to share, so he stopped going to school just so his younger siblings could continue learning. A big part of today's world relies on the internet, and those who don't trust it can't necessarily verify what they're hearing through communities, and that is what being "digitally invisible" means. If you (or your community) aren't the ones making decisions, then it's you that is affected by the outcomes.
January 2025
Sustainable Food Systems
with Tembea High School
January 17, 2025
Friday Prayers @Farmington Valley American Muslim Center
I had the opportunity to attend a second religious service at the Farmington Valley American Muslim Center. We were invited to attend a Friday prayer at the Mosque and to have a discussion with Dr. A, the Imam, afterwards. During the conversation with the Imam, I learned more about the Islamic religion, and could tell that he was open to answering our questions. In addition, he talked about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, saying that "the conflict between them is about politics, not religion," to make sure we recognized that the war wasn't Muslims against Jews. ​
January 17, 2025
Martin Luther King Celebration
During the Friday before Martin Luther King day, Watkinson holds student-led workshops that celebrate and honor the work MLK has done. "Youth Activism and Music," a workshop I attended focused on what music during different eras typically reflected. We specifically listened to We Tried by Louise and Baraye (Because Of) by Shervin Hajipour, which are environmental and cultural protest songs. When people typically mention protest songs, I imagine a rhythmic and repetitive chant, but after hearing these songs I realized that protest music can be much more than a 1-2 beat.
December 19, 2024
Google Meet with Ghenwah Karbeet
Global Studies students had the privilege of meeting Ghenwah and hearing about her experience leaving Syria. This experience allowed me to understand more about the history of Syria--its people, the government, and the laws. Despite the unfair treatment the government gave to its citizens, Syrians never gave up the fight and became united as a community. Although the violence in Syria is still ongoing, Ghenwah possesses a mindset of "listening and trying not to judge the other side," and this is an important idea to have because it creates understanding, respect, and genuine conversation.
October 21, 2024
Mass MoCA​
The Global Studies and Creative Art students spent the day at Mass MoCA where we had the chance to explore around and see the many exhibits they had. We also got the opportunity to see The Plastic Bag Store, an exhibit that addresses the problem of pollution, especially plastic waste. My favorite piece was Die Schechina (The Schechina) by Anslem Kiefer which represented the Temple of Jeruslalem and the female depiction of God, resonating with the Global Studies themes of religion and human rights.
October 10, 2024
Arn Chorn-Pond Visit​
Watkinson had the pleasure of hosting Arn Chorn Pond where he shared his experiences of the Khmer Rouge and his work to restore Cambodia's living arts. Even though he was introduced to violence and hate at a young age, Pond continues to spread peace. "Reject hate and go towards love" is something he said. Hearing him speak about a challenging part of his life and then finding music that saved him demonstrates his passion to create communities where people can be themselves.
October 2, 2024
Rosh Hashanah in the Park
​
Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday reserved to celebrate the New Year. As part of the required religious service, I, along with other students in the Global Studies Program, attended the Rosh Hashanah event at Elizabeth Park. We were met with people celebrating with music and eating apples and honey for a healthy and sweet new year. Attending this event, I learned more about Judaism and how they celebrated and expressed their religious identity.
September 30, 2024
Justice Mullins Public Hearing​
The Global Studies Program took a trip to a Public Judiciary Committee Hearing to see Justice Mullins, a Watkinson alum, to hear his reasoning as to why he should be a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, making him the youngest to serve this position. Appointed by Governor Ned Lamont, Justice Mullins was approved to serve as a permanent judge on the Supreme Court.
Summer Reading 2024
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Caste: The Origins of our Discontents is a nonfiction book that explores the 8 pillars of the caste system.​ Reading Isabel Wilkerson's book, it allowed me to conceptualize the built-in system through examples of real-world scenarios. We also watched the movie Origins, which brought Wilkerson's words into reality. By reading the book, you only get to understand the surface level of the punishments, brutality, and trauma the lower caste face, but bringing it to life in a movie revealed and captured more truth to the emotions on people's faces.
