This Fall, I am continuing my membership in the international student organization, OU Cousins. This school year, I truly wanted to be more connected to my Cousins group and learn about areas of study outside of my own Fine Arts/Dramaturgical career path. Sometimes, I am afraid that my placement in a humanities major- and my heavy involvement in fine arts in general- will place a separation between me and other students my age. Because I am not a STEM student, my time is spent primarily in rehearsal rooms, museum exhibitions, and concert halls; at times, I am hesitant to try and relate to those outside of my artistic circle.
However, OU Cousins is helping to fight this fear of mine. I am fortunate to have been matched with two Cousins this year! The first, Kathryn, is a Medical Imaging student with a specialty in Nuclear Medicine. My second OU Cousin is named Waleed. He is originally from Luxembourg, through he texts often from Germany. Currently, he is working on research for his graduate thesis and is pursuing his Masters in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering.
It is fascinating to connect with people who not only come from countries different than my own, but who are passionate about fields I have no experience with. OU Cousins has been a good reminder that, even if we are students who grew up in very different places around the globe, we are, first and foremost, individuals who want to learn more, explore our world, and grow our perspectives. I’m looking forward to getting to know each of my Cousins more, and hopefully having the opportunity to meet them in-person next semester!
