What is GCP?

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The last GCP class of the year, May 2022

During the 2021-22 school year, the four GCPodcast creators were students in the Global Citizenship Program, a First-Year Ampersand at WashU that included two semester-long classes, a year-long workshop, a community-based learning project partnering with local St. Louis organizations, and a week-long trip to the US-Mexico border in Arizona.

The goal of GCP is to examine "what it means to be a citizen of the world" by comparing our own mental maps to the realities of a globalized world and exploring how language affects refugee resettlement throughout the legal, healthcare, and educational system. Building off of the knowledge gained in class, the workshop further explored the concepts of charity versus solidarity with the intent to create change in a meaningful and sustainable manner.

The GCPodcast

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The GCPodcast creators after recording the first episode, October 2022

The idea for the GCPodcast was born out of a conversation during the GCP trip to Tucson, Arizona, in March 2022. We seek to maintain connections with the people and organizations we encountered throughout our time in GCP by welcoming them on the podcast while providing access to their stories and knowledge to anyone who would like to listen. Consider this podcast a small snippet of the Global Citizenship Program available to those beyond WashU first-years!

The GCPodcast Creators:

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Riley Novak

Riley is a sophomore from Phoenix, Arizona, double majoring in Global Studies and Spanish. In addition to being part of the GCPodcast, she works as a tour guide for WashU, volunteers with the International Institute of St. Louis and Beat Therapy, and enjoys playing her French horn in wind ensemble. She is passionate about immigration and social justice and hopes to attend law school after graduation.

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Sarah Kaul

Sarah Kaul is a native St. Louisan majoring in Global Studies with a global development concentration, minoring in Spanish language and Drama. As a sophomore at WashU, Sarah is heavily involved in the student theater community as an actor and sound designer, as well as a member of the WuFuego Latin Dance Team. She is an executive board member for Pride Alliance and also a member of SIR, the global studies honors society. Sarah is excited to bring the podcast to a new audience and is interested in discussing US/Mexico border politics and the intersection of immigration with other marginalized identities, queerness, language accessibility in the US, mental health, and trauma awareness/recovery.

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Lawrence Hapeman

Lawrence is a sophomore from Muskego, Wisconsin, studying Philosophy and Global Studies with a minor in Math. He is involved with the WUPR podcast team and the RSVP Center on campus. Lawrence loves to talk about philosophy, read, run, and watch YouTube. He is very interested in education and linguistics, particularly the ways that languages develop and evolve differently based on rates of immigration, cultural history, and other factors.

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Mary Psyhogeos

Mary is a sophomore from Yarmouth, Maine, studying Global Studies, Math, and Economics. On campus she is involved with Run Club, Model UN, and several youth mentoring programs. She enjoys reading (especially Harry Potter), running, hiking, and listening to showtunes. She is particularly interested in the Latin American region and is looking forward to interviewing the organizations where she has volunteered, such as the International Institute of St. Louis.