An Autonomies Student Fellow Reflection: Declan Carney

Declan Carney

This was my first semester at the Hannah Arendt Center, and I am very glad to have had the privilege of working with the other student fellows in the Autonomies program. They programmed some very fascinating events throughout the semester with thought provoking speakers, from Nora Krug to Maya van Rossum, and I learned a great deal at each talk. By assisting at the Autonomies lectures, as well as at the Bill Mullen Poetry Recitation contest, I was able to connect with my peers and gain an appreciation for their thoughtfulness, ambition, and humility. My own event, Political Pregame, was conceived as a voting workshop in advance of the November 2024 election. We wanted to develop a down-to-earth forum for members of the Bard community who were looking to become politically involved to have a dialogue with students and faculty about ways in which they could take agency over their futures through voting and other means. I hoped that we could counteract the widespread sense of helplessness and hopelessness within my generation and inspire people to act for themselves and for their community, in line with the Autonomies theme of Community Resilience. During the spring, I worked in close collaboration with Election@Bard, part of the Center for Civic Engagement and a student-driven group dedicated to promoting political engagement and awareness. I was greatly impressed by their steadfast professionalism and sense of commitment toward making sure their peers stayed politically active and informed. Even if not quite as many people were able to attend the workshop as I would have hoped, I am confident that those who did greatly benefitted. My experience this semester instilled in me much respect for the motivated young people who put in the effort to shape our collective future for the better, and conviction that their efforts will be successful. All told I had a wonderful and inspiring time as a Hannah Arendt Center fellow. Although I will spend my upcoming junior year abroad, I hope that when I return for my senior year I can continue to assist the Center and its mission in cultivating a resilient community.