Hello all! I’m Claire Strother, I was born and raised in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. I’m a current sophomore at St. Olaf with majors in American studies and women and gender studies with a media studies concentration, but who knows how that’ll all turn out by the time I graduate. Beyond studying for my (subject to change) majors on campus, I work in the Dance Department doing all things digital, am on the KSTO exec staff, and serve as the Multimedia Director for the Manitou Messenger.
I was drawn to this interim trip in large part because I have a passion for both politics and the arts and there’s no better place to see them interact on such a large scale. That being said, I think that it is vital to bring the knowledge and skillsets that are gained on this trip back to other communities to continue the fight for the arts in public spaces nationwide, as all politics start at a local level.
I’m excited to spend my longest stretch of time that I’ve ever been outside of the midwest here in the nation’s capital; I think that being in the hub of American politics during an election year and with a looming Senate impeachment trial provides a heightened sense of connectivity and urgency that are not as much on the forefront of discussion in other areas of the country — it seems crazy to think that while we’re in such a historic city we’re also here during a time that will be remembered in history.