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Student Voices
Saraswati Noel
- Hometown: Seattle, WA
- Major: Secondary Math Education
- Activities:
- South Asian Student Association -- Public Relations Officer
- Diversity Inspired Volunteer Educators
- Latino Student Union
- Making Western Diverse Club
Diverse Community
Western has an extremely engaging and community atmosphere that I have fallen in love with. I have met students from all different backgrounds who are just as excited to find out about my life as I am to find out about theirs. Diversity in all aspects is highly encouraged at Western so I have felt really comfortable being myself and exploring all of my interests.
Discovering a Passion
Since I have been at Western I have really found what is most important to me in life. I always knew I was interested in social justice, but here I have had the ability to explore that further and really figure out what I want in my life. I have discovered my love for teaching and working with underprivileged populations and am extremely excited to see what else I learn about myself and my community while here at Western.
Life Changing Professor
My professor Bill Lay has changed my life. His profound commitment and love for students is inspiring. When I was unsure if I could continue to attend Western due to financial and family reasons, he put in an astounding amount of effort and time into securing my position next year. He has supported me academically and emotionally and made my transition into college life flawless.
Inspired by Others
I have met the most amazing and inspiring students here at Western. I am blown away by the aspirations and dreams of my peers. One of my friends is working on starting a non-profit organization to assist students in coming to college. Another of my friends is planning to travel around the world, helping anyone she can along the way. These people inspire me to better myself and the community every day.
Pivotal Moment
An experience that was really meaningful for me was taking part in Read Across America. On Dr. Seuss’ birthday I read Cat in the Hat to a special education classroom and loved every minute of it. I haven’t had much experience working with children with disabilities and was so inspired by each one of them. They were so accepting, loving, and excited to have me read to them. It was at that moment that I knew I needed to be a teacher.
Creating a Dream
The volunteer work I am most proud of is a program I participated in my junior year of high school called Hands for a Bridge. I spent a year studying South Africa before traveling there with 15 of my peers where we took part in conflict resolution through arts and dialogue. I worked with a Xhosa student and an Afrikaans student and assisted them in building a relationship that is extremely hard to forge in their society. At first these two students wouldn’t even look at each other but through determination, I asked them questions about their lives and they slowly shared their struggles, triumphs and inner beings. Through our communication the three of us built a lasting friendship and created a dream for South Africa.
Natural Beauty
Seeing the sunset right outside of the Viking Union for the first time is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life—that breathtaking view when the world suddenly seems so simple and beautiful. Every time I am out there I remember why I fell in love with Western.
Time for Fun
One of my favorite experiences with the residence halls would have to be the giant glow-in-the-dark game of Capture the Flag. My entire residence hall competed against another hall and had the time of our lives running around campus trying to find each other. I had never been in a Capture the Flag game of that magnitude and since this happened at the beginning of the year it made it so easy to meet people.
Life after Western
My dream is to work with high school age students in Africa and teach AIDS prevention along with math and sanitary health practices. I would love to start my career with the Peace Corps and then transfer to something more permanent. I really want to work in rural villages, where children don’t generally have access to quality education. Teaching in Africa inspires and invigorates me. Western has given me a path to following my dream to help others.