Hello! My name is Coco Ridge. I am a sociology major and a leadership studies and philosophy minor. I am co-president of Sociology Club and involved with various other student organizations on campus. I recently took Peace Studies classes and got involved with Peace Studies Union because it naturally sparked my interest. My internship experiences got me involved in the labor movement. I am passionate about improving people’s daily lives and material conditions. That requires the skill of deeply understanding people and conflict that I hope to improve on this trip. I am excited to learn from people’s lived experiences and immerse in the communities affected by the conflict. I am specifically interested in learning about integration and peace-building post-conflict, ideologically and physically. I hope to learn from Northern Ireland’s local politics and community work to apply to future career aspirations. The biggest challenge I anticipate is witnessing the heavy aftermath of violence and seeing how intergenerational trauma affects people after The Troubles. I am very excited to learn from the people and my experiences.