Lydia Schrag
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: Dallas, TX (but lived in LA and Yaounde, Cameroon before that)
Focus: Urbanism, Social Justice, and Food Systems
Taking full advantage of the flexibility within CEP, I don’t have a focus! My classes have ended up supporting themes of urbanism, social justice, and food systems. I used to tell people my interest was in the role of local businesses as place-makers within a community. But since I shifted my senior project plans, that isn’t reflected in my studies at all. Mostly I want to learn more about people, place, and community.
Why did you choose CEP? There are so many things that drew me to CEP, but ultimately I chose CEP for the strong value of community support within the major. I wanted to be in a program that cared about me as a person first and a student second. One that would challenge me to show up and actively contribute, but would also understand that life is complicated and intense and we’re all trying to figure it out.
Favorite Place in Seattle and Why?: My favorite spot in Seattle is Santo Coffee! Everyone in my cohort knows that because I don’t shut up about it. Santo was the first place that helped make Seattle feel like home to me. It was my coffee shop. The space is beautiful, the coffee is good, and the staff is committed to customer service. Their generosity has secured an extremely loyal customer base. Seriously it’s a great spot. Good vibes all around. Check it out!
It’s the future, all humans are being transitioned to hybrid animals so we’ll stop being so destructive. What two animals would you combine? Oh my word. I think I would combine one of my least favorite animals and my favorite animal. An octopus for the tentacle use and insane brainpower. A pangolin because they have armadillo-like safety capabilities and they’re adorable. An octolin. A pangopus. Something like that.