Morgan Drake

How did you become interested in the CAH project you are working on this year?

I’ve been fascinated with this subject for almost my whole life. I love to research, think about, and draw all sorts of flying machines, both real and imagined. When my faculty advisor Ryan Carrington brought this opportunity to my attention, it all fell into place and I realized how well the theme of (re)imagining futures fit the work I like to create.

Tell us about a transformative or eye-opening experience you have had in a humanities or arts course at SCU. What did you learn or take away from it? How did it change you?

Last year I took ARTS 155, Photography in the Community. Helping teach a sixth grade photography class opened my eyes to many diverse childhood experiences, as well as giving me a new appreciation for the role of a teacher. In addition, our class read “A Most Beautiful Thing” by Arshay Cooper, a book about the first all-black high school rowing team. The autobiography follows Cooper’s journey and growth as he creates a better future for himself, and it left me both shocked and deeply inspired. This experience was heightened when Arshay Cooper himself came to speak to our class, bringing a new dimension to the story and its impact on me.

What does (re) imagining futures mean to you?

(Re) imagining futures means dreaming about what could be. It means not settling for what we think will be, but rather what we hope will be. Rethinking the likely, and setting our sights on the extraordinary, and working towards a better future for ourselves and all of society. We may tend to imagine all the negative outcomes of the near future, but we must try to reimagine it, thinking of all the possibilities and changes that are triggered every day, and do at least a small part to shape the future for the better.