Photo by Orin Zyvan ’04

Zoë Vrabel ’09

sociology

Hometown: Brookline, Massachusetts

How Reed changed me: Reed gave me confidence in my abilities and my ideas. I’ve become much more outspoken and self-confident. Reed taught me how to think.

Cool stuff I did: Quest Editor. Senator. Took constitutional democracy with Colin Diver. Played a solo with the orchestra and sang solos with the Chorus and Collegium.

Financial Aid: Yes

Adviser: Prof. Alexandra Hrycak

Thesis: The “We” in “Yes We Can”: Activist Identity Creation in Obama Volunteers

What it’s about: I’m exploring what motivates people to become politically active and volunteer their time. Studies have shown that we live in an era of “civic disengagement” and yet Obama mobilized a historic number of new volunteers. What was it about Obama and his campaign that inspired these volunteers?

What it’s really about: An excuse for me to travel around the country volunteering for Obama.