My name is Noelani Conahan and this fall I’ll be heading into my junior year as a dual-degree student in LSA and Stamps. To earn both degrees I’ll likely be an undergrad for around 5 years, and I’m hoping for one bachelor’s in women’s and gender studies, and one in art and design. I’ve lived in Ann Arbor my whole life, in a little cohousing community on the outskirts of the city. I have one older brother and one long-term exchange sister who’s my same age. I’ve grown to love learning about feminism and social identities, and a lot of my art is informed by my experiences with mental health, gender, and sexuality.
Growing up in Ann Arbor, I worried that U of M wouldn’t be far enough from home. How do you start fresh when it’s not an unusual occurrence to run into someone who remembers you peeing your pants as a toddler, or fighting with your brother at the farmer’s market? This city and I had too much history, I thought. But I was wrong! I love knowing where things are so that I can help my friends when they need advice or help. And living on campus gave me enough separation to begin figuring out who I was outside of my family.
I’m still getting acquainted with my summer research project in some ways, but I know it’ll stretch my perception of research in the humanities, and give me a bigger window into the enigmatic (read: really confusing) world of academia. I want to push myself to find the best in my research experience, and learn to navigate my role as someone supporting a project that’s bigger than me. There’s so much I don’t know about how research is conducted and applied to the world outside of the University buildings we know. I want to bring a strong work ethic to this program and my research, and connect with the other people in this program.