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Anna Brooks '25 - PAC Captain

Â鶹Æƽâ°æ me: Hey! Im Anna! I use she/they pronouns, and I'm from Boston Massachusetts.

In my free time, I    like to browse new music and meditate. I love sociology because it’s the way the world works! So much can be learned about each other and what we know through sociology! 

Why PAC?: I’m in PAC because peer support is such a huge part of higher level education.

My Favorite class and Why: My Favorite class was Race and Power with Jennifer Mueller. It was a new, more personal look into how power and positionality historically and in contemporary America. 

Academic Advice: Be empathetic with yourself! You are human who makes mistakes and is growing. You can only do you best! 

Walter Boyce '25

Major: Sociology

Â鶹Æƽâ°æ Me: Hi! My name is Walter, I use he/they pronouns, and I am a junior sociology major from Newton, Massachusetts. Around campus, I am also a student supervisor in the dining hall. In my free time, I enjoy thrifting, trying new restaurants, listening to music (my favorite artists right now are Beyoncé, SZA, Tove Lo, and MUNA), and binge-watching Law and Order SVU.  

Why PAC?: I think peer support is invaluable to fostering strong learning communities, especially since it can feel like you're flying blind sometimes in regard to assignments. I am also excited to share my knowledge and passions with other students who are interested in sociology!

Favorite class and why?: The EN105 class I took freshman year, The Color of Justice with Professor Bozio, is the first thing that comes to mind - I feel that I both greatly sharpened my college writing skills and acquired a new perspective on systemic race issues in the United States. Call me crazy, but I also enjoyed Statistics for the Social Sciences - I enjoyed crunching the numbers to draw meaningful sociological conclusions!

Academic Advice: My biggest piece of advice is to buy a planner (or use a Google Calendar) to get all your deadlines in one place at the beginning of the semester. This helps ensure you can stay on top of what you have due, not procrastinate, and avoid forgetting about last-minute assignments.

Stella Brown '26

Major: Sociology and Gender Studies 

Â鶹Æƽâ°æ me: Hi! My name is Stella (she/her). I’m a junior from Washington, DC. I love horses and am on the Â鶹Æƽâ°æ Equestrian Team. 

Why PAC?: The past two years, PAC has been a welcoming space for me to connect with others and gain a deeper understanding of class material. I hope to help provide the same support and sense of community to others, and am excited to discuss sociology with you! 

Favorite class and why: So far, my favorite class has been Feminist Disability Studies with Professor Mintz. The readings were incredibly interesting and helped convey a complex topic. Discussions were a significant part of the class, which allowed for students to develop their own thoughts about the readings and share them with peers. Essays were broad questions so students could write about whatever they wanted to, which made writing fun and helped me further develop my writing skills. 

Academic advice: Reach out to professors, peers, and friends. Building connections will truly make learning more fun and fulfilling. Give yourself grace and don’t underestimate yourself. 

Yuesong (Cherie) Ding '26     

Â鶹Æƽâ°æ me: I am Yeusong, and you can call me Cherie.  I come from China, and I am going to major in Sociology and Gender Studies.  I work out a lot, also read, write, and meditate.  I love deep conversations, so you're very welcomed to discuss any societal or philosophical issues with me!

Why PAC? Sociology is not just a discipline that stays in books; it needs people on board.  It is much more valuable to gain a deeper awareness of oneself and the world and expose the reasoning behind social routines than just writing papers, and in PAC, we get that!

My Favorite Class and Why?: My favorite course is China and Globalization by Prof. Xiaoshuo Hou.  This course represents the fusion and contractiction of the two cultures in me, which allows me to understand my growing environment from both Eastern and Western perspectives, have a more comprehensive viewpoint on the boundaries between socialization and domestication, and deal with the conflict of structural oppression and agency more carefully.  And a course introducing China has brought me a sense of belonging and warmth. :)

Academic Advice: I learn sociology with the mindset of "making the world and myself better".  I am then passionate and motivated to engage in academia.

Ruth Leech '25

Major: Sociology and Religious Studies 

Â鶹Æƽâ°æ me: I started out as a sociology major and added on religious studies when I started taking RE classes that helped me realize they are two essential lenses for looking at the human world. I love how different the two disciplines are, and how well they complement each other. I’m from northern Vermont and I love sci-fi, biking, and cooking. 

Why PAC? PAC has been such a great resource for me – whether it be specific help with a tricky concept or skill, learning about professors or classes I should be excited for, or just a relaxed, focused environment to finish my own work or a group project, PAC has always been a place I can go if I need that extra push in the right direction. 

Favorite Class:  In retrospect, I really enjoyed and sincerely appreciate Contemporary Social Theory. It was a real marathon of a class, but I appreciated how much of our own thinking we had to do and the classroom discussions were an essential part of that. Some of the craziest papers I’ve ever written, but I look back on them fondly. 

Academic Advice: Talk in class! Even if you don’t know the right answer, even if there’s other, louder people, even if you think your question isn’t worth asking. Participate because you will be more present and engaged. Speaking in draft helps you figure out what you really think: an invaluable asset in the humanities. 

Brie Schaffer '26   

Â鶹Æƽâ°æ me: I’m Brie, I use she/her pronouns, and I am a sociology and political science major from Cambridge, MA. In my free time, I like to crochet, read, and spend time with my cat (who unfortunately is not on campus with me). A fun fact about me is that I do circus and am part of the circus club on campus!

Why PAC? I’m in PAC because I understand the importance of peer support in academics. I think Soc PAC is a great space to interact and meet people who love sociology!

My Favorite Class and Why: My Favorite class was State and Local Government with Bob Turner. I took this class my first semester at Â鶹Æƽâ°æ and it opened my eyes to the importance of local government. I think it’s really easy to get caught up in large national and international issues, but some of the biggest impacts you can make are at the state and local level! 

Academic Advice: Time management is such an important skill and can save you so much stress. Having a system to help you visualize/map out when you have assignments due helps me fight procrastination and (more importantly) decreases my stress when I have really busy weeks.