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One Year Out . . . Sydney Stanback ���09 only started at New York University last year, but she has already embraced a variety of academic and social opportunities that both her program and her new community have to offer. Her excitement is palpable as she talks about the work she has been doing at the Gallatin School, which champions interdisciplinary, self-directed learning. Students take classes from any of the NYU schools and round out their education through internships and foreign study. During her first year at college, Sydney took advantage of Gallatin���s program in France, and she plans to study in London during the spring of 2011. Outside class, Sydney immerses herself in community. Early freshman year, she ran for secretary of her dorm���s student government. With 950 units, hers was the largest residence hall in the country. Joining student government was one of the best decisions she���s ever made, Sydney says. ���We actually had the power and financial means to change problems with our dorm,��� she says. On top of that, her fellow officers quickly became some of her best friends at school. For Sydney, making the decision to attend NYU was easy. Her fist visit to the school was over Halloween weekend of her senior year, a time when the city and the campus are at their most vibrant. ���I instantly fell in love with the school and the city,��� she says. ���I wanted to attend a school that allowed me to create my own curriculum. I wanted to be in a diverse and vibrant environment, and I wanted to be an area that was always busy and full of activities. After visiting more ���traditional��� colleges, I realized that I didn���t want to live anywhere else.��� Though her life has changed a lot in the last year, Sydney sees a strong connection between her experiences at NYU and the lessons she learned at Latin. ���Latin laid a foundation for me to discover what I want to focus on academically and professionally. For me, that���s helping other people. I don���t know exactly where I���m going to end up, but I know I want to have a huge impact on American culture and society.��� One area in particular she is developing an interest in is exploring multimedia and pop culture and how they impact society, political movements and people���s views of the world. ���A lot of my classes focused on how visual images can inspire people to change their political or ideological views. . . It helped me realize my interest in popular culture and social structures.��� She hopes to explore further how celebrities and their pull can raise awareness about critical social issues through the Web, social media and other new forms of outreach. And, although she hasn���t pinned down a major yet, Sydney is excited about the fact that it will be her own unique path. n ��� Tiana Pyer-Pereira ���03 ���Latin laid a foundation for me to discover what I want to focus on academically and professionally. For me, that���s helping other people.��� Above is a photo of Sydney taken by celebrity photographer Adam Bouska as part of the NOH8 campaign opposing Proposition 8, which amended the state Constitution in California to ban same-sex marriage. Latin School of Chicago 33