After the far-right government executed more than 3,000 young civilians, many Colombian mothers have become dedicated social activists. As part of the Grand Challenges and CLA’s First-Year Research & Creative Scholars Program, a trio of undergraduate students traveled to Soacha, Colombia to interview some of these women. Olivia Nortwen, Sydney Provinzino, and Kylie Sievers explore how mothers are transforming the Colombian social landscape. Their research received the award for “Best Scholarly Presentation” at the 2018 Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Conference.

In Velazquez's Las Meninas, the painted scene that we contemplate seems to turn to look at us: there where we place our gaze, we find someone—and perhaps ourselves—staring back. Drawing us into its sphere, the painting shatters the borders between life and art.

The annual Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Conference provides a platform for students to share their academic work in a professional setting. It’s an experience that co-chairs of the event, Maryanne Williams Smoczyk and Danielle Dadras, believe allows for students to grow academically and professionally: “The College is placing emphasis on professionalization and readiness as a way to help students understand their potential in the work world.”

This semester, the TandemPlus program helped facilitate exchanges with three new partner institutions: a high school in Finland, an online university in Spain, and a liberal arts focused college in Argentina. The path to finding the partners was different in each case.