Anna Randolph
2023 - 2024
Bangkok, Thailand
Life as an Asylum Legal Advocate in Bangkok
Me chamo Anna! I recently graduated from Belmont University in May of 2015 with a BS in Sociology and Art History. To sum it up, social justice and the arts are my heart and soul, and I take every opportunity I have to mix the two together. I have an extreme passion for understanding (and experiencing!) the social world and the ways in which it impacts my life and the lives of others. I find great value and fulfillment in both recognizing the inequalities and social problems that exist within our world and working towards social change. As far as the arts go, whether it is performance or visual art, I have been involved in the arts and worked with artists of all sorts for what seems like my entire life. I firmly believe that the arts are intrinsically connected to the human experience and that artistic expression is a kind of universal language that can break down social barriers, foster communal and and intercultural connections, and ultimately elevate the way of life for both individuals and communities. For me, my passions go hand in hand because I honestly believe that supporting the arts is an excellent way to promote social change.
While I have never had the opportunity to travel abroad before, my travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil through the Lumos Scholarship Foundation provides me with the chance to not only pursue my dreams of traveling abroad, but also to dig in, get my hands dirty, and do the kind of work that I have always wanted to do. During my time in Rio I will be working with the organization International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ) and their local partner organization Jacarandá International Volunteering Experience (JIVE) in their community development program. I will be involved in several community development projects during my time in Rio but specifically, my work abroad will focus on using art as a vehicle to cultivate social change. Primarily, I will be maintaining and implementing arts education programs in communities that don’t traditionally have access to them, creating community arts projects, and supporting local artists throughout various communities in Rio de Janeiro.
My adventure to Brazil is a microcosm of the work I want to continue doing in the future. After my time in Rio, I plan to pursue a graduate degree in Sociology with an emphasis in arts focused community development. My time in Brazil and my future studies will strengthen my abilities to understand widespread social issues and reduce those issues through community-based models. In the future, I hope these experiences allow me to fulfill my dreams of using community art programs to combat social inequality.
More about me....
Major(s): Sociology
My Stories
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Ate Proxima
And just like that, I’m back in Nashville. My last week in Rio flew by with less than a blink of an eye
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Week Twenty Three
As I sit down to write this post I can’t help but mention the weight on my head and my heart from my
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Feliz Ano Novo
It’s January. If you’ve been keeping up with my travel, you will know that I arrived in August. Here I am, five months
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Merry Christmas, from my home away from home
It’s that time of year once again, and yet it looks completely different from where I am standing. The sun is shining, it
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The Gift of Time
A little over four months ago I boarded a plane and headed to what is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful
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Ao Redor do Mundo
If I haven’t mentioned it yet, I am so incredibly grateful to have the unique privilege to share my passion with others, even through
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Favelas, Social Structure, and More
What exactly do you think of when you imagine what Rio de Janeiro? Do you think about the miles of beaches that stretch
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Ends and Odds
Not surprisingly, my last couple weeks in Rio have been a whirlwind. I find myself constantly engaged in some sort of activity here,
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Life in Rio
“Our many failures give meaning to our few successes; only when we peer into the abyss can we appreciate the magnificence of heights
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Carioca Culture
They aren’t lying when they say traveling abroad impacts your perspective. Even in the short amount of time I have been here, I
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What being free feels like
There has never been a more appropriate time to say the last week and a half has been an absolute whirlwind. After trekking
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Where is My Mind..
It occurs to me that my entire life has been a series of images. For those of you that don’t live inside the
