Philosophy major Alisha Nesslage is going to have a busy summer. She’s been accepted to two selective summer programs for philosophers-in-training: the 2021 Colorado Summer Seminar in Philosophy (hosted by the University of Colorado, Boulder) and the Summer Program for Women in Philosophy (hosted by University of California, San Diego). These programs are designed for “outstanding advanced undergraduates” who are considering graduate training in philosophy.
Congratulations to Alisha!
We had a brief email conversation with Alisha about what these opportunities mean to her:
What do you hope to get out of your participation in the Colorado Summer Seminar? “Through my participation in the 2021 Colorado Summer Seminar in Philosophy, I hope to sustain connections both socially and academically by working closely with philosophers. Additionally, I hope to identify my own areas of interest within ethics as I begin to reflect on the research I aspire to pursue as a future graduate student of philosophy.”
What are your long term goals as a philosopher? “By teaching moral philosophy in academia, I hope to bestow students with the tools to assess ethical issues beyond lecture and coursework. My long-term goal is to refine the faculties of reason students possess by introducing alternative perspectives that build critical thinking and a tolerance for opposing views, fostering greater understanding in academia and the 'real world'.”
In your opinion, what makes philosophy so exciting, inspiring, or fulfilling? “As a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombings, I was drawn to the words of Epicurus, who maintained that the philosopher's arguments could heal humans from the world of suffering. I have since turned to philosophy to study the interaction between ethics and belief to inspire and promote greater moral agency through pedagogy.”
