Beaver Reflections:
I graduated from Beaver in 2011 and am a “lifer.” My experience was fantastic and really shaped the way I think about the world. It provided me with the opportunity to hone my critical thinking skills while allowing me to question and challenge things I learn and hear in the classroom. While there, I had a chance to go abroad to the Island School in the Bahamas. It was an amazing experience and I am forever grateful to Beaver for allowing me to go. Another great part of my time at Beaver was the service trips. I worked very closely with the Hiatt Center and one of my favorite trips was going to New York City with girls from Beaver. One of the most memorable nights was when we spent one night with an all-girls Muslim School and we had a fun get-together at night and really bonded. Finally, I am still extremely close with many of my fellow Beaver peers. They are some of my favorite people.

What is #happeningnow in your life:
After graduating from Beaver, I went to Smith College, an all-girls school, and majored in Africana Studies. While there, I wanted to be in a space where I could feel empowered while also raising other women up. I had the chance to study abroad and went to South Africa and then South India during my junior year. I found myself very curious about race and similar topics that ended up dictating my major. Following Smith College, I went to graduate school at UMass Boston where I earned a master’s in Global Inclusion and Social Development while concentrating in human rights. I focused on inclusion in various ways such as people with disabilities or people who were not born in the United States. I have always been interested in storytelling and how we can leverage storytelling as a tool to influence social and political change. This acts as my guiding star and the goal that I am working towards. Since my master’s, I have gone on to work at 2Life Communities which provides housing, services, and community to seniors. I am involved with recruiting volunteers from all over the world. My work is focused on the intergenerational exchange and ensuring any volunteer that comes on-site can give back but also receive from our residents and assure them housing.

“Storytelling is so fundamental to us as human beings. Before we had paper and could write, we only had stories. If I know your story and you know my story, we can level and try to understand each other. Storytelling can be a bridge to help understand one another but also create empathy and this human connection with each other that is so important. It could be as simple as a 20-minute conversation or a full feature documentary.”
– Maggie Schneider ‘11

Advice to Beaver students:
Be yourself. Something wonderful about Beaver is that you can be who you want to be without fear of being judged. It is such an open and inclusive space where you can pursue any passion you want to without feeling pressured to be someone you are not.