MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATIONS
Featuring a podcast, a presentation, and a campaign poster
This podcast articulates one of my core convictions about the nature of truth, based on the NPR Radio “I Believe” series. My podcast opens with some childhood context before diving deeper into my personal philosophy. Orwell’s 1984 inspired the title, and helps me to articulate why the concept of absolute truth is foundational for decent society. The podcast does not claim that all truths are absolute, only that absolute truths do exist, and serve as the soil from which all meaning grows.
My first major RCL class assignment was a live presentation, analyzing a civic artifact. I chose the firework, opening with its connection to the revolutionary spirit, which ties into the American spirit. With self-loathing and censorship engulfing Western academia, fireworks hold an especially relevant meaning today. I point to fireworks as a physical manifestation of the American spirit, reminding us of our country’s greatness and how we ought to live out our values. In preserving liberty, we must be unabashed, unrestrained, and unapologetic.
During my second month at Penn State, I applied to join the Freshman Council of the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), which is the student government of the entire campus. I did not get into the Council, but I nevertheless mounted a campaign to become an At-Large Representative during spring elections. Given that elections occurred online this year, my digital poster became a valuable asset to share across group chats and servers, advertising my candidacy. I won a Representative seat with 1650 votes, garnered exclusively through online outreach, and now serve as a member of the UPUA.