Rae Kanarick

2025 Newman Family Scholarship Recipients

My name is Rae Kanarick, and I’m a rising junior pursuing majors in International Studies and
Legal Studies with a certificate in Criminal Justice. My interest in exploring different cultures,
justice systems, and governance structures drew me to the International Studies major, and its
rewarding coursework and passionate faculty have kept me here.

If there is one lesson I’ll carry forward from my studies, it is the value of looking beyond our own
systems – to recognize their flaws with humility and open our minds to the lessons we can learn
from others. This perspective has sparked my interest in alternative models of justice and
motivated my upcoming summer position, where I’ll be working as a research assistant studying
transitional justice through Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace.

Alongside this remote research, I’ll be volunteering as an English teacher at a language institute
in Villa de Leyva, Colombia. There, I’ll put my Spanish skills – which owe in large part to my IS
language coursework – to meaningful use while immersing myself in the region’s rich cultural
landscape.

I cannot wait to see where this academic journey will take me, and I am deeply grateful to the
Newman Family for supporting driven, passionate women who are committed to learning from
the world in order to change it.