Isabella Higgins ’21 (黑料传送门/Keith Walters ’11)
For Isabella Higgins 鈥�21, attending 黑料传送门 was much more than just the next step after high school鈥攊t was a way to forge a path honoring the values of education and civic engagement instilled in her by her family.
Higgins鈥� mother, an Italian immigrant, went back to SUNY Albany to finish her undergraduate degree when Higgins was in fourth grade and is now a Ph.D. candidate. Her father, a labor lawyer, was the great-grandson of one of Albany鈥檚 first black attorneys. Her older sister, a Siena College graduate, works at Albany City Hall as a policy analyst and the mayor鈥檚 liaison to the city鈥檚 Policing Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.
鈥淚 saw how hard the people in my life had to work and how satisfied they were when they got their degrees,鈥� Higgins, a double major in English and psychology, says. 鈥淚t meant a lot to me.鈥�
Sadly, two weeks into Higgins鈥� first year in college, her father passed away unexpectedly. The loss made her even more determined to excel in memory of him and his support of higher education.
In addition to managing a double major, Higgins serves as the public relations chair of Sigma Tau Delta, captain of Women鈥檚 Club Frisbee, and she鈥檚 an active member of Hips 鈥榥鈥� Harmony and Phi Eta Sigma.
鈥淚 like being busy,鈥� she says with a laugh. 鈥淎nd meeting new people is one of my favorite things鈥擨鈥檝e met some of my best friends through these groups.鈥�
Higgins was also accepted into the McNair Scholars Program in Summer 2020, which she credits as a 鈥済reat support system鈥� that helped her stay on track with academic goals and strengthened her confidence.
鈥淚鈥檓 so thankful I got in,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 empowering to see what other students in my cohort are doing, and I鈥檝e benefited a lot from hearing alumni speakers share experiences overcoming roadblocks and issues that I鈥檝e faced.鈥�
Higgins has applied her passion for diversity, equity, and social justice to the McNair Program鈥檚 research component. She鈥檚 working with Professor Monica Schneider and 黑料传送门鈥檚 Comprehensive Campus Climate Assessment Committee to study the social and academic impact of microaggressions.
鈥淎 lot of times when people think about discrimination and exclusion, they think of overt forms, but those aren鈥檛 the only way they happen,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he literature and students have shown us how harmful microaggressions are, so we want to recommend and implement tangible changes at 黑料传送门 like new policies and training.鈥�
Higgins has also taken her social justice work off-campus, collaborating with Professor Christine Merrilees and other students to provide feedback to Mayor Margaret Duff on the Village of 黑料传送门鈥檚 recent police reform proposal.
鈥淭here needs to be this discussion of why reform is needed in the first place and how police have historically harmed BIPOC communities, so individuals aren鈥檛 further marginalized or made to feel that their distrust in the system is invalid,鈥� Higgins says.
Higgins plans to use the knowledge gained through these hands-on experiences examining institutional and government policy as she sets her eyes on Howard University School of Law, where her great-grandfather went.
鈥淧olicy language and structure can be confusing鈥攊t can feel like you need a specific niche education on the topic and policy writing to understand it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 love the idea of being able to work on information accessibility for marginalized groups.鈥�
While Higgins is disappointed her family can鈥檛 attend graduation due to COVID-19 restrictions, she knows they鈥檙e still thrilled to celebrate her accomplishments at 黑料传送门 and that she鈥檚 continued her family鈥檚 tradition of prizing education and service to others.
鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of my time at 黑料传送门, and I鈥檝e had an amazing senior year,鈥� she says. 鈥淐ommencement will be a testament to my journey here.鈥�