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It took Emily many years to discover her life passion. She grew up in several different places – she can remember at least seven residences from her childhood – but Emily calls Cincinnati, Ohio, her home. When it came time to apply to college, Emily wanted to continue to see new places. She certainly got her wish by coming to New Hampshire! Emily came to UNH for the Environmental Conservation program, for a scholarship she received, and because she has family living near Durham. Emily’s first few years at UNH were pretty challenging. While she got involved in many organizations and activities such as the Vagina Monologues, the Organic Garden Club, Safe Zones, and Third Wave: A Place for Feminists (TWAPFF), Emily simply was not happy. Sophomore year stands out as the most challenging year for her, as she became an RA in addition to the activities listed above. Despite being so busy, Emily felt like something was missing. She was doing very poorly in her classes and was ready to leave UNH. After completing her year as an RA, Emily led a three-week trip to Alaska with the all-girls wilderness summer camp she had attended as a child. The group did a lot of sea kayaking, hiking, and ice climbing in Alaska. This trip deepened her love of nature and allowed her to reflect upon her own identity and values. Emily also used this time to reflect upon her first two years at UNH. Upon returning to UNH for her junior year, Emily realized that, while she enjoyed the classes she had taken in the Environmental Conservation program, she wasn’t passionate enough about what she was studying. Through her involvement outside of class and experience with camp, Emily had met many students who were really into women’s issues, which spurred her interest in the Women’s Studies major at UNH. Emily made the decision to change her major to Women’s Studies and made Environmental Conservation her minor. “I realized that if I wasn’t happy and wasn’t doing well in class, then I needed to find a new path. So I changed my major, and loved it!” Emily said. She returned to UNH with her new major, moved off campus, and was much happier. She took a course that year called “Black Women in America” with Professor Carol Conaway that focused on issues of race and privilege. The course had a huge impact on the way that Emily saw and thought about the world. “I finally began to learn more about the effects of race and what it means for me to have white privilege,” Emily says of her experience. “Professor Conaway taught the course in such a positive way and inspired me to evaluate issues of race in my personal, work, and educational life!” Emily’s senior year has not been any less busy than her first three years at UNH. This year, she spends most of her time at the New Outlook Teen Center where she is an Intern for their Women’s Adventure Group. Emily loves this position and feels that she uses a lot of what she is learning in her Women’s Studies courses for the work that she does there. Emily is also a Teaching Assistant for an American Sign Language class and she works at the Dimond Library on campus. In addition to the many activities that Emily is involved with at UNH and the surrounding community, Emily travels to Burlington, Vermont many weekends throughout the year to continue a commitment that she began during the summer of 2008 with the Vermont Nursing Association (VNA). Emily works with clients to provide in-home care and companionship through the VNA and hopes to continue this work once she graduates in May of 2009. She also plans to work with youth in some manner, but only for about a year, and then she hopes to go to graduate school. Her dream is to attend Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, for their Master of Social Work program.
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“Students are the focus of everything we do.” |
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Since she was a child, Emily Lusenhop has loved carrots. She used to love pulling them out of the ground and uprooting them from the earth. Emily loves carrots so much that she got a big tattoo of one in the middle of her back! Even her mom has nicknamed her “carrot girl”. When Emily came to UNH though, she found that she has more passions in life than just root vegetables. Her biggest passion: working with underprivileged women.
It is clear that Emily is a woman who is following her heart by dedicating herself to improving the lives of youth and at-risk women. She discovered this passion during her four years at UNH by getting involved outside of class, getting an internship related to her future career, and embracing the materials in her classes. Emily has certainly made the most of her time at UNH, and she is now living her dream because of it. She will, no doubt, influence many individuals in meaningful ways throughout her lifetime.