My name is Lily Bjerkan and I am sophomore at Illinois Wesleyan University. I am a History and International Studies double major with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. Most of my academic projects and research focus on women or minorities throughout history for my history courses, or on global and current issues for my international relations courses. I have not quite figured out what I want to do after I get my undergraduate degree, but I have considered joining the PeaceCorps, museum curation, earning a graduate degree, working in diplomacy as an ambassador or working for the United Nations. I feel my purpose or calling in life is to help people to the best of my ability and whether it be through volunteering, creating accessible education, or through humanity-focused politics, I above all want to do something with my life that makes me happy and feel good about what I am contributing to society. I am extremely thankful for a liberal arts education that allows me to explore all of these options as I continue to figure out where life will take me.
My love for history goes back to middle school social studies. Overall, history was a subject I really enjoyed and once presented the opportunity, I tested out of units for my history courses to do extra work and projects on the periods we were studying. Carrying on into high school, I realized that history directly connected to my passion for social justice, using lessons and examples from the past and adding to my understanding of society and politics today. Majoring in history at Illinois Wesleyan allows me to study what I love and has continued to develop my capacity to understand the world.
I grew up in Elmhurst, Illinois, a suburb 20 minutes outside of Chicago and graduated from York Community High School as a member of the National Honors Society, having served as president of Empower and Amnesty International, and on high honor roll all eight semesters. Elmhurst is a very white conservative area where it was hard to feel understood, having differing political views, socioeconomic background, and biracial. I am a second generation Mexican-American, my dad immigrated to the United States and met my mom who has lived here her entire life. I also have a little sister, Bella, and my maternal grandma lives with us too. Family has always been really important to me, and our close-knit dynamic has helped me grow with so much love and support; I truly do not know who I would be without the inspiration and guidance from all of my family members.
At Illinois Wesleyan I am a part of the ODI peer mentor group, Kappa Delta sorority, Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, Sigma Alpha Pi leadership society, Intervarsity, Tri-Iota women and gender studies honors society, and I work at the coffee shop. ODI peer mentor/mentee pairs are made near the beginning of the year with someone who similarly identifies with you ethnically. My mentor and I talk about what life is like and struggles we face because of our biracial identities, what we can do about it, and check in on how our school years are going. Going through formal recruitment and joining Kappa Delta may be the best decision I have made in college so far. Having a place full of empowered women empowering one another, focusing on confidence and self-love have given me great leadership opportunities and lifelong friendships. Alpha Phi Omega is a service fraternity focused on bettering the community, Tri-Iota is the Women’s and Gender Studies Honors Society, and Sigma Alpha Pi is the National Society of Leadership and Success. Through Intervarsity I have been able to explore my faith through studying scripture with peers, which has been especially helpful during stressful weeks to focus my attention somewhere else and given a soothing consistency to my semesters. As a first-year student I was selected for the humanities fellowship on campus and as a sophomore now I will be helping the professors in charge of that program when I come back from studying abroad in London. While none of my extracurriculars appear to be directly involved with my love for history, they have all helped my self-development in becoming a better, more helpful, and happier person.
I keep busy with my involvement on campus, course work, and actual work at the coffee shop, but my experience and education at Illinois Wesleyan has been unparalleled so far and I am elated to continue to share my experiences and educational achievements through this e-portfolio.