Emma Downing

Emma graduated from Hastings College (Hastings, NE) in 2023 with degrees in History and Spanish, and a minor in Sociology/Anthropology. She is coming to the University of Maryland (after spending a 'gap year' teaching English in the south of Spain) to pursue a Ph.D. in Global Interaction and Exchange, focusing on identity formation, the commercialization of human suffering, and the idea of 'saviourism' in the contexts of 20th century humanitarian movements.  She is also more broadly interested in Colonialism and decolonization movements, the commodification of culture, and political violence, among many other things. As of right now, her ultimate goal is to teach at the university level, though that may change as she continues to explore and find new opportunities!