I am Giang (Gianna), a first-year student in the BSocSc(Government & Laws) & LLB programme, with interests that lie, broadly, at the intersection of law, politics, economics, and history. I have always been drawn to tangled questions, for the most worthwhile learning comes from being reminded that no discipline exists in isolation. I enjoy tracing an idea to its origins, examining the assumptions behind it, and considering how it acquires meaning in different historical and social contexts. To me, learning is thus nothing but an ongoing exercise in asking better questions.

My interest in the Common Core is from much the same conviction. A university education ought not, in and of itself, be confined to the boundaries of one’s chosen discipline; therein lies the value of nurturing an interest one would otherwise have little occasion to consider. CC offers that space: to look beyond what is familiar, engage with perspectives that may initially seem foreign, and, nevertheless, bring them back to the questions one already studies. I would love to help other first-year students approach CC with the same sense of curiosity and openness, to find in the unfamiliar something worth pursuing, and perhaps a new best friend 🙂