Featured Scholar: Taivion Sanders

Taivion is a senior dual majoring in Political Science and Philosophy. He is currently studying abroad.

What drew you to Murray State?

My brother graduated from Murray State a couple years ago, and he had a great experience here. The majors that I was interested in, Political Science and Philosophy are great programs here. Since I’ve been here, they’ve been great classes with great professors. Overall, I got a merit-based scholarship here, so that played a huge role in my decision. Being from a small town, it felt like it wasn’t that big of a culture shock moving to Murray. It felt like right at home.  

Why did you choose your major and minor?

I had already taken gen eds in high school, but came in undecided. My advisor told me it was time to choose a major now. I liked studying philosophy in my free time, so at first that was my first major. I took classes and liked it, and I still liked it. Then, I added a second major my junior year, political science. I felt like I wanted to get more involved in politics and being active on social media. I felt like those two majors complemented each other very well. 

What’s one class or project or experience in your major that you’ve particularly enjoyed or that you’re proud of?

I would say for my philosophy degree, my favorite class was one I just wrapped up last semester on  feminist philosophy. I am huge into issues of social justice and equality subjects, so being able to work in a class and have discussions about these issues was important. Also, in feminism, there’s a lot of topics we touched on because of intersectionality–we touched on issues of gender, race, class–all in one class. My classmates and professor (Dr. Michelle Panchuck) were really great also in that class. 

Then for political science, I think one class that really sparked my interest was International relations with Dr. Marc Polizzi. That class really made me interested in studying different cultures and experiencing life abroad. Without the class, I wouldn’t be studying abroad.

What’s one of your favorite aspects of campus life that isn’t class-related?

This might sound generic, but I love going to the Wellness Center with my friends. I feel like working out and exercising, even though it has physical benefits, it has a lot of mental benefits. I have suffered mental health and working out has a lot of benefits by being able to exert myself, which improves my mental space. It puts me in a good place to do my classwork. 

What are your plans for after graduation?

As of right now, I’m considering pursuing the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) teaching program. I want to experience life for a couple of years, and I think that teaching in a new country and learning another language will help me become more well-rounded of an individual. After that, I’m thinking about pursuing law school, studying international law. If I don’t do that, I will try to work in a field looking at qualitative data and become a data analyst. I will do whatever helps me interact with the most diverse groups of people possible.

What advice would you give incoming freshmen at Murray State?

I think that the absolute number one huge piece of advice is to always be open minded. Even though you are in the south and in KY, you will still meet the most diverse group of people from different backgrounds. I feel like I wouldn’t be the person I am today without meeting different people. They help me see life in a different way, they help me get outside my box. As humans, we can work together to make something great. That and kindness. Kindness takes you a long way.