Hello! My name is Frankie and I'm a rising junior from Sacramento, California working on a combined major in Art History and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies. My academic interests center of medieval representations of the womb and fetus, midwifery, and domesticity. I want to explore how artistic representations of pregnancy offer insight into the legal and religious governance of abortion. Broadly, my research examines the intersections of gender, power, and reproduction in late medieval Europe.

Hi! I'm Eedha, a rising sophomore at Barnard College, Columbia University, where I’m majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing (and maybe minoring in French, too!). My love for storytelling has shaped both my academic journey and my Laidlaw research. I'm exploring the role of happy endings in children’s literature: can stories that end well do more than comfort? Can they spark resilience, hope, and a sense of agency in young readers facing an uncertain world? Through this project, I hope to better understand the quiet power of optimism in shaping childhood and how literature might offer more than escape.

Hi! My name is Anagha (pronounced uh-nuh-guh) and I am an undergraduate at Barnard College in the Class of 2027. I am majoring in Sociology as a pre-medical student; I hope to pursue an MD-PhD in Medical Anthropology. My research this summer connects my academic interests in medical sociology and queer studies. Through exploring diverse forms of gender affirming care, I hope to understand how medical and spiritual healers help individuals transition. In my free time, I love junk journaling, singing in Barnard's a capella group, and trying new vegetarian recipes. I'd love to chat about anything from your latest cooking attempts to your favorite (or least favorite) sociological theories - please feel free to reach out and say hi! :)

2023 Harvard Social Justice Panelist | Urban Studies @ Barnard

Barnard College aims to provide the highest-quality liberal arts education to promising and high-achieving young women, offering the unparalleled advantages of an outstanding residential college in partnership with a major research university. With a dedicated faculty of scholars distinguished in their respective fields, Barnard is a community of accessible teachers and engaged students who participate together in intellectual risk-taking and discovery. Barnard students develop the intellectual resources to take advantage of opportunities as new fields, new ideas, and new technologies emerge. They graduate prepared to lead lives that are professionally satisfying and successful, personally fulfilling, and enriched by a love of learning. As a college for women, Barnard embraces its responsibility to address issues of gender in all of their complexity and urgency and to help students achieve the personal strength that will enable them to meet the challenges they will encounter throughout their lives. Located in the cosmopolitan environment of New York City and committed to diversity in its student body, faculty, and staff, Barnard prepares its graduates to flourish in different cultural surroundings in an increasingly interconnected world. The Barnard community thrives on high expectations. By setting rigorous academic standards and giving students the support they need to meet those standards, Barnard enables them to discover their own capabilities. Living and learning in this unique environment, Barnard students become agile, resilient, responsible, and creative, prepared to lead and serve their society. 

I'm a current undergrad student at Barnard College pursuing a double-major in Theatre & Human Rights, with a minor in East Asian Studies. I'm often asked why I’m studying such seemingly divergent fields. For me, these subjects go hand in hand: my diplomacy and human rights practice are informed by an empathy uniquely cultivated from my experience in the arts; my acting on theatrical stages is enriched by my understanding of what is happening on the "world stage." Mastering both mediums is my answer to the seemingly unsolveable divisions we face today. My work bridges these fields in an innovative, urgent and radical effort to highlight our shared humanity at a time we need it most.

Hello everyone! My name is Stella Dull, and I'm a rising sophomore at Barnard College  with interests in the intersections of environmental justice, political theory, and renewable energy. This summer, I will be researching how the U.S. and China’s approaches to green industrial policy and their associated outcomes reflect divergent models of government intervention in the economy and what this reveals about the evolving role of the state in addressing the climate crisis. 

I am a rising sophomore, pre-law student at Barnard College, Columbia University intending to major in Philosophy and minor in Spanish. My academic interests are civil rights law, ethics, intellectual history, education policy, and disability studies. As a Laidlaw scholar I draw from my academic interests and personal experiences to conduct research on the use of restraint and seclusion in special education. I am eager to use my research experience and education in my future law career to further social equality.

Hi everyone, my name is Terrah — or Danae if you know me from Danalize, my startup, where I’ve helped over 500,000 college and high school students get smart about their college loans and promote financial literacy. I’m a junior at Barnard College, Columbia University, double majoring in sociology and human rights on the pre-law track. I'm also a part of the 2025 Laidlaw scholar cohort. My mission is to help others through my experience as a first-generation, low-income student from an underserved high school. This passion, combined with the disparities I’ve seen in financial literacy—especially in communities of color—has inspired my current research on the relationship between financial literacy and higher educational attainment. Feel free to connect as we grow together, not just as scholars, but as passionate advocates for change.

Hi everyone! I'm a rising junior at Barnard College of Columbia University, where I am double majoring in Political Science and Human Rights, and minoring in French. This summer I'm researching about art reinstitution and its ethical and legal components. Some of my other interests include social work, human rights, and law. Please feel free to reach me at cd3442@barnard.edu

I am a rising junior at Barnard College studying English and Education. I am passionate about expanding access to higher education for underrepresented communities and addressing disparities in K-12 education. This summer, I will conduct a comparative critical policy analysis of financial aid policies in New York and Georgia, examining how such policies impact students' access to higher education. As a future educator and educational researcher, this opportunity is invaluable for bridging my passion for research and education with meaningful advocacy.