This week, I traveled to Oxford for a seminar on War and Peace. The seminar brought different subjects and disciplines together to discuss conflict and the ways we can create peace. I found out about this seminar through my major advisor for the Peace and Justice Studies program. There was an application program, I applied received the scholarship to attend and off I went!
The seminar featured sessions on many different topics. We discussed health and it’s a relation to human security, the environment and conflict, the consequences of technological advances in the world and how that can be used to create peace or conflict. We also had sessions on different ways to resolve and transform conflicts based on past conflicts. We contemplated on the meaning of the terms peace, human rights and law and how our understanding of these concepts may be flawed or incomplete. 
I was very excited about the seminar before going and I am very happy with its outcome. I have met so many brilliant minds and come away with a lot to think about. In addition to attending the seminar, I got to explore Oxford just a little bit. I spent most of my free time walking around, taking pictures and buying books. I attended the conference with 3 other Wellesley students and my major advisor Prof. Catia Confortini.
I received this opportunity because of my Peace and Justice major. This is just one example of all the cool things you could get involved with while at Wellesley. Opportunities like this allow me to further explore my interests while narrowing down my path. I am leaving this week with such hope for the future.
For the folks who have been accepted into the yellow class of 2023, Congrats! Wellesley will open so many doors for you, you won’t even believe it!
Until next time,
Laïssa