Tiara McKinney \u201925 traveled to the U.S. to attend Dickinson because of the college\u2019s emphases on global education and civic engagement. A tour guide, peer advisor and admissions ambassador who interns at a local nonprofit through Dickinson\u2019s Center for Civic Learning & Action, McKinney discusses why involvement in the campus and local community is so beneficial to students, her experiences studying abroad in Spain\u00a0and the class that\u2019s helping her make the most of her experiences as a student in the U.S. McKinney also describes the essay she published in an anthology about the experiences of young Black women students and her hobby of researching true crime.<\/p>\n
Hometown:<\/strong><\/p>\n Eleuthera, The Bahamas.<\/p>\n Major<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Spanish & Portuguese<\/a>.<\/p>\n Clubs and organizations<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Liberty Caps (tour guides<\/a>), Tritons (admissions<\/a>\u00a0ambassadors), Psychology Club, Center for Civic Learning & Action Community Engagement Fellows,\u00a0The Dickinsonian<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Peer Advisor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Honors\/scholarships\/awards:<\/strong><\/p>\n Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society.<\/p>\n Best thing about my Dickinson experience so far:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The people at Dickinson are the best thing about my experience here. Many professors and students are compassionate to both friends and strangers. During my first year, I tried various activities and could freely pursue my interests, which I credit to the welcoming and noncompetitive environment among Dickinsonians. Everyone has their niche, and even among those whose interests overlap, there is usually collaboration.<\/p>\n Favorite book:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Nickel Boys<\/em>\u00a0by Colson Whitehead.<\/p>\n Favorite movie:<\/strong><\/p>\n Us.<\/em><\/p>\n On choosing Dickinson:<\/strong><\/p>\n I decided to attend Dickinson because of its\u00a0close relationship with the Carlisle community<\/a>\u00a0and its emphasis on a\u00a0global-centered education<\/a>. The\u00a0Center for Civic Learning & Action<\/a>, along with other Dickinson departments, allows Dickinsonians to find their place within the college and local community through service and other collaborative efforts. Additionally, every Dickinsonian is encouraged to\u00a0study abroad<\/a>\u00a0and learn more about the world beyond Carlisle and the broader United States by studying different\u00a0languages<\/a>\u00a0and cultures and doing\u00a0research<\/a>.<\/p>\n Favorite place on campus:<\/strong><\/p>\n Kaufman Hall.<\/p>\n Favorite class so far:<\/strong><\/p>\n My favorite class has been Culture and Psychology with Assistant Professor of\u00a0Psychology<\/a>\u00a0Rui Zhang<\/a>. I have been able to apply knowledge from this class to my experience as an\u00a0international student<\/a>, and there is overlap between this course and others that I have taken. In this course, we reviewed psychological research to explore how and why cultures differ, and we examined our own experiences and how our cultures have impacted who we are.<\/p>\n Little-known hobby\/talent:<\/strong><\/p>\n Researching true crime. I\u00a0watch videos and research true crime because I have always loved mystery, and listening to real-world stories allows me to empathize and engage more with cases. Since crime is out of the realm of my everyday life, I often wonder about people’s motivations to commit such heinous acts, and I try to apply my knowledge from psychology courses to presume the aggressor’s motivations.<\/p>\n As I kid, I wanted to be \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2026 a teacher.<\/p>\n