My Global & Environmental Identity
Hello! My name is Ella Somberg, and I’m just beginning to discover my place as a global and environmental citizen. I’ve learned that developing an identity as a global citizen is important to creating an empathetic society, and one that prioritizes not only our planet, but the well-being of all Earth’s citizens. It is important to me to understand global citizenship so we can pass down this vital knowledge to our descendants, encouraging a bright future for our global society. In order to learn one’s place as a global citizen, it is necessary to understand one’s identity. I identify as many things. I am Jewish, a woman, and from Glastonbury Connecticut. I live with my parents and two younger brothers. My favorite subject is History, specifically U.S.. I play Golf, and I'm a part of the Loomis Girls Varsity Golf Team. My favorite place is Israel, and my favorite food is pasta. Loomis is one of the places I call home, but so is Rhode Island. I’ve been spending my summers there for 17 years, and it’s also the place I attended summer camp for 10 years. I’ve been anticipating our GESC work for this year, and here are my goals: I want to discover how we can encourage global citizenship in the communities that don’t have access to the same resources our institution does, and I want to research our own community of Windsor, and learn more about what we can personally do to help our environment. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this year.
Global & Environmental Resume
GESC-designated Courses
- Advanced Spanish II
- World History
- Religious Diversity in Contemporary America
- Advanced Spanish III
- CL Environmental Science
- Spanish IV
- Developmental Psychology
- CL Soc Sci Sem: Globalization
- Spanish V: Latin American Civ
- Spanish V: Latin American Short Story
- Spanish V: Cinema
Jewish Student Union
- I've been a part of the Jewish Student Union at Loomis since I was a freshman.
- I hold the position of Social Media Manager, and have for three years now.
- I feel it is very important, especially for Jews, to stick together and become friendly with one another.
- In times where our community is under attack, it's been a blessing to be able to have friends to relate to, and help cope with situations like these.
BBYO Israel Trip
The Summer before my Junior year, I traveled to Israel through an organization for Jewish Teens called BBYO. The purpose of the trip was to give American Jews a chance to see the homeland of our religion, and bond with other Jewish Teens to understand the value of our distinct culture. This trip was unforgettable, as we traveled from Northern to Southern Israel in the span of 3 weeks. We visited museums, archaeological sites, panels on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, religious monuments, and even slept in the desert for two nights. I learned more about my own culture, and the Middle East as a whole.
Learning Artifacts
GESC Coursework
CL Soc Sci Sem: Globalization - Essay on Jewish Cultural Hybridization
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yxahDJwSLI21fc1-MfApUHJX1FKX-IinDMCFuTvY8r8/edit?usp=sharing
This essay specifically connects to the 'Seek Knowledge' section on the Alvord Center Engaged Citizen Matrix. As a Jewish person, researching the Diaspora and its effects allowed me to engage with my identity, as well as compare it to other cultures within my ethnic group. Learning about how other Americans, and non-Americans, experience Judaism was impactful for me. It was interesting using history to map different sectors of Judaism and their personal traditions.
GESC Seminars
Islamic Association of New Britain Field Trip
Our field trip to the Islamic Association of New Britain enhanced my understanding of the Islamic religion and the lives of refugees in my own community. Having the ability to interact with refugees face-to-face rather than reading about them in textbooks shattered the prevailing stereotypes I had surrounding their daily lives in America. A few of the peers that I met with spoke perfect English, and they had only been living in the U.S. for 2-5 years. I had imagined that refugees struggle with the language barrier on a daily basis and learning English took years to master, especially without an accent. Those same peers were also applying to, or enrolled in college. We were discussing our tactics for writing applications, and the eldest was giving me tips on what to expect at a large university. After this trip, I’ve realized that labeling these women ‘refugees’ creates an alienating connotation of their lives. Speaking with them as if they were classmates allowed me to close the gap between ‘refugee’ and ‘peer’. Since then, I’ve been curious about the organizations assisting Muslim Refugees in my community, and other ways we can shatter these stereotypes preventing us from having human connections and empathy.
"Glitter" by Nicole Seymour Book Talk
It was a pleasure to listen to Nicole Seymour talk about her book Glitter. I found the eco-conscious aspect of the book very interesting to hear her discuss. I learned of the environmental implications of glitter and the movement towards sustainable alternatives. Seymour also discussed the traditional composition of glitter, which is often made from microplastics, and its impact on ecosystems, particularly aquatic environments where it can contribute to pollution and harm marine life. This connects to the Alvord Center matrix in the section, “Seek Knowledge.” Specifically the sub-section, “Examine local, global, and environmental trends.” The book delves into the efforts of activists and artists to raise awareness about these issues and promote eco-friendly glitter made from biodegradable materials. Nicole emphasized the importance of balancing the joy and expressiveness of glitter with a commitment to protecting the planet. "Glitter" encourages readers to consider the environmental footprint of their choices and to seek out sustainable options that allow for creative expression without compromising the health of the Earth. Personally, I fall victim to fast fashion very often. This seminar encouraged me to be a more eco-conscious consumer, and consider the impact of less important goods on the environment.
GESC Electives
CL: Environmental Science - Food Waste https://youtu.be/7zhrM25Oj5I
In this project, my partner Sofia and I interviewed members of the Loomis community on their impact on our campus-wide food waste reduction challenge. At this point in the school year our whole community was aware of this campus-wide issue, and we were curious to see who actually cared about it. Not only did we interview students, but we got insight from expert Mr. Dyreson, and food waste reduction enforcers, the Deans. This project allowed me to analyze connections between local and global issues, as food waste is a global stresser as well as a Loomis one. This project also put a spotlight on the impact of individuals and their decisions, and helped me realize that it takes every individual in order to make a broad difference.
GESC Experiential Education
BBYO Israel Trip - Summer 2022
Capstone Project
Cultural Cuisine
Project rationale
I've always been interested in using this program to explore more of my cultural and global identity; So when it was time to introduce our capstone ideas, I knew this was the time to do so. My partner and I decided to explore our cultural identities through food. Using cuisine allowed us to explore and research our cultures through talking to family members and learn directly from the source. It was important for us to point out similarities within each others' culture, as the overarching goal of our project was Cultural Unity.
Target Audience
Our target audience was the students in our dorms, and the underclassmen dorms, as that's where the cooking was done, and where we felt this kind of project would hit home. Being a boarding student can make one feel like they're out of touch with their family, so we wanted this project to remind the students of their own family traditions, whilst learning about ours. In order to achieve this we visited each underclassmen dorm and presented our project while engaging them in a share-out about their own traditions and cultural food. While we cooked our personal dishes in Palmer, we had the residents of our dorm try the dishes and snack on them during check-in.
Project Process
In order to begin our project we needed to reach out to family members that are particularly involved with our culture. Personally, this meant reaching out to my grandparents and hearing their perspectives and experiences with cultural cuisine. Knowing that food is more than something you eat, it was important to pay close attention to the background and memories associated with said dishes. Once I had talked to each family member and established the dishes I'd be making, I had to decide which recipes I'd be using. This was a challenge because the common room kitchens had limitations in terms of cooking utensils and accessibility, as the common room is a shared space. Once we gathered ingredients the cooking process began. Having others filter through the common room was a great help because they could taste our dishes before we had to formally present them. The conclusion of this process was super rewarding as we were able to reflect on our experience at Loomis as a whole by presenting to underclassmen girls dorms, a place where we once were.
Visual Interests
Project Reflection
I feel that our project was targeting to our audience perfectly. We understood that underclassmen girls aren't necessarily inclined to listen to an hour long presentation, so we opted to share personal experiences fostered through this project and create a dish for them to try. We also had them partner up and share with eachother their own favorite dish from home, delivering the message of cultural unity. The presentations were very successful, we had multiple girls stay after to ask about our experiences in the GESC, and our overall Loomis experience. On the Alvord Center's Matrix, we aimed to achieve the value of Cultural & Global Identity. By reaching out to relatives, participating in traditions that they once did, and sharing our identities with others, I believe this aspect was achieved. Throughout this project, I was able to grow as a Global and Environmental Scholar by hearing of my partners cultural history and family heritage. We both were focused on not just our own process, but each others, to fully immerse ourselves in establishing our identities as Global and Environmental scholars.
GESC Reflection
I have absolutely grown as a Global and Environmental Scholar during the process of the GESC. The seminars and experiential education trip allowed me to experience Global and Environmental studies outside the Loomis bubble. The trip to the Islamic Association of New Britain, specifically, opened my eyes to the Cultural significance of knowing one's Global identity. I loved the open discourse we were fortunate enough to have with the refugees, and I learned so much about a religion that is surrounded by stigma and stereotypes. This process has also allowed me to be in touch with my own cultural identity, by giving me the opportunity to discuss my familial ties to cuisine, and realize how important my culture is to my family members. I also successfully reached members of the Loomis community by presenting my finished capstone to underclassmen girls, a position that I was once in, and being able to offer valuable advice about Loomis and the GESC to them. Environmentally, I was able to learn about climate change and its impact on Global economies, and vice versa. Combining economics and environmentalism was fascinating, I learned that this coexistence existed. Overall, this certificate has allowed me to learn about the world outside of Loomis, and how to integrate myself into a society of scholars invested in the Global landscape, and Environmental community.