Expectation vs Reality: My Reflection of “Designing Towards an Antiracist Stanford”
I applied to at least 5 design classes for this quarter not thinking I would get into any. My reasoning for doing so was that I hoped to get into a design school class at some point this year to serve as an opportunity for creative expression, something to balance out the CS classes I’d be taking. When I thought about the d.school I thought about tinkering, building, drawing, designing, products, consumers, creating. So when I saw that I was accepted into “Designing Towards an Antiracist Stanford”, I had no clue what to expect.
At the beginning of the class, we brainstormed what the world would be like in 50 years. Hearing the passions of other students when they talked about issues like justice, equity, sustainability, and human rights, I knew this class community would help me feel comfortable to tackle hard problems and face harsh realities. I started to see this class as a design class, one where we brainstormed solutions for the future.
Soon we started identifying areas of Stanford that are either affected by or can impact systemic racism. After defining the ecosystem we wanted to explore, we categorized our ideas and formed project teams. My ecosystem had to do with engaging underclassmen interested in CS or Data Science with anti-racist research. The teaching staff suggested I pair up with Joanna, who wanted to explore tenure for professors who are knowledgeable about indigenous peoples. At first, this pairing seemed far-fetched; I wasn’t sure what outcome Joanna and I could produce. But after more research and refining, Joanna and I realized that we had several ideas in common and were able to come up with an awesome solution. I could really see this class as a design class, one where different people can rally behind a common goal to tackle an issue.
For the rest of the class sessions, we prototyped, got feedback, refined, made changes, and refined again. What was once a concept, an idea, soon became reality. Joanna and I prototyped a one-unit seminar class that would help provide resources and mentorship to passionate, antiracist undergraduate students interested in research. We wrote up a syllabus, and I even created a mock-up of the class listing on Explore Courses. We were creating something new and learning how to be intentional with the process. I felt proud to present our final product to members of the Stanford community. This class really was a design class, one where we walked through the design process to go from a problem to a solution.
Before Designing Towards an Antiracist Stanford, I didn’t think there was much I could do to make a change towards systemic issues. I’m only a sophomore and it’s my first time on campus, after all. I didn’t know anything about undergraduate research, nor did I expect anyone to be enthusiastic about a design product I helped to create. That all changed by the end of the course. I am grateful I was accepted into this community, and I have a lot more confidence now to make a difference here at Stanford.
