Student Profiles
Student: Elizabeth (Libby) Perkins
School: Saint Mary�s University of Minnesota
Major/Minor: Human Services / Psychology
HECUA Program: Democracy and Social Change in Northern Ireland
Who is Libby Perkins?
I am from Bloomington, Minnesota, a busy suburb of the Twin Cities and ‘famously’ known as the home of the Mall of America. I am the youngest of three children and I was a very active kid growing up and was lucky enough to have parents who made sure that I got involved in as many things as possible such as sports, choral organizations, and church activities. When I was a curious and independent youngster, the Perkins household was a busy place with my mother’s in-home daycare business, so I was always surrounded by people. My love and interest for people’s well-being and stories grew throughout high school and eventually triggered the lifelong goal of becoming a Human Services professional.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I was fascinated with the idea of space and aliens when I was little and always wanted to be an astronaut so that I could fly and meet one. Unfortunately when I found out that astronauts have to be good at math and science, my alien phase was soon over and I quickly changed career choices.
Who or what has been influential/inspiring in your life?
The experience that has been most influential in my life thus far would be my time spent abroad in Northern Ireland. The strong connections and relationships with fellow HECUA peers, the program director Nigel Glenny, and my internship advisor James Knox, enabled me to take a step back from a formal education outlook and really explore what it is that I am passionate about in an open and welcoming setting.
What’s an issue you care passionately about?
Due to my experience with my internship with AWARE- Defeat Depression, I have recently taken more of a concern for mental health issues especially depression. Too often there is this stigma attached to depression and people are afraid to initiate conversation about it. Witnessing depression within my own life and family members triggered me to take more of an action and voice when working with this issue in Northern Ireland and to continue to do so back here in Minnesota.
What initially interested you about the HECUA program you participated in?
Like many other students who apply for HECUA programs, I was initially attached to the idea of completing an internship while studying abroad. I thought that this would be such a unique and completely different experience when comparing it to other friends who would be abroad. As well as this, I was intrigued with the history of the conflict and wanted to have the chance to explore more about what a contested society looks like as well as how social change has an impact on a society such as Northern Ireland.
What was your most memorable field speaker or class activity and why?
This is a hard question because we had the chance to meet a variety of individuals with powerful stories, experiences, and wisdom about the conflict but I would have to say that Richard Moore the director and founder of Children in Crossfire was the most memorable field speaker. The man has gone through so much in his life just like many have in Northern Ireland, yet his quickness to forgive the man, who shot him in the eyes that blinded him when he was 10, was quite a remarkable thing to witness. His willingness to keep on living despite his struggles and hardships made me and a lot of other peers take a step back and realize the good things within our own lives.
Where did you intern while participating in your HECUA program?
I interned at a place called Aware-Defeat depression. I was assigned to work on policy papers focusing on the employment rights and opportunities for those struggling with depression as well as options to better advocate for depression education for youth, teachers, and parents in Northern Ireland. Along with these papers, I also had the opportunity to go and work in their education field by engaging with youth at St. Columb’s College in Derry as well as at the Woodlands Juvenile Justice centre. The final event that I was a part of was the first depression awareness launch event at Belfast City centre. I was able to engage with volunteers and community members about how depression affects lives and how policy can help change lives.
One thing that I really enjoyed about my internship was the fact that my co-workers practiced what they preached. Because Aware’s mission is to advocate for defeating depression and getting rid of stigma, the Aware staff were responsive and respectful of their coworkers mental well-being when taking in consideration breaks and time off. I would say that I grew during my time at Aware by learning to be more open about policy work. I was really hesitant to jump into policy papers, and due to the work that I was doing I found a lot more respect for those who do policy work and realized the importance of it especially when considering social change.
What were/are your impressions of your HECUA program director and/or other teaching faculty that took part in leading the program?
The program director Nigel Glenny is an honest, intelligent and genuine teacher who opened us up to his family, his views, and his world. He challenged us in a way that made us think about our place as students, Americans, and individuals in the context of Northern Ireland. Nigel facilitated many learning opportunities for us to explore the different aspects of the conflict by meeting people and hearing diverse stories which further enriched my knowledge and understanding of the country.
How did this HECUA program make an impact on your life and how you think about your future?
HECUA was a wakeup call for me. Before HECUA I was coasting along in my academic life, I was going through the motions of taking classes and learning about issues, but was not really involved with them. At school I got caught up in this routine of going to class, doing homework, participating in extracurricular activities, but not really engaging on a deeper level by getting to really know the people and the stories behind the issues. My time in Northern Ireland really allowed me to focus on a core set of issues and there was more of an opportunity to explore and question what those consisted of. Because of this I feel that I am more conscientious about issues that are happening locally and globally. When thinking about my future, this experience has motivated me to take more of a responsibility for the issues, people, and relationships that I care about.
