Caroline Lou

Global Challenge: Creating Accessible Third Places

Caroline Lou is a sophomore majoring in Integrated Design and Media. She has always been very arts-oriented, but wants to combine that with STEM and see where it takes her. She grew up in the suburbs around Boston, but has always enjoyed more urban areas since there is constantly something to explore. Growing up queer and Chinese-American has really been the driving factor behind how Caroline explores interpersonal and cross-cultural relationships, and she is excited to have the opportunity to represent her identity through creative work. During her free time, Caroline loves to be active and outdoors. Some of her favorite activities include badminton, pickleball, hiking, and kayaking. On the calmer side, she enjoys reading and photography.

At Tandon, Caroline is a Technical Assistant at the MakerSpace, where she supports students in machinery and personal projects. She is also part of the Communications sub-team, where she uses her creative side to make promotional material and graphics. Caroline’s favorite thing is seeing what other students are doing in such a co-op learning environment, and she has strengthened her problem-solving and teamwork by working through real-life challenges. Other than that, Caroline works on the Aesthetics team of Concrete Canoe, maintains a research lab website, and is a member of Theta Tau. She believes that there is always more room for growth, so she hopes to continue building a multifaceted skillset that allows her to harness technology in beneficial ways. After graduation, Caroline wants to ease into a design-oriented job (UX/UI, product design) where she can utilize her technical skills to promote human connection. In the long run, she is eager to lead her own artistic and interactive projects that spotlight stories often left untold.

Caroline was drawn toward the GLASS program because it offered the chance to learn alongside others in interdisciplinary environments. Her interest in the program was also influenced by her desire to support the spaces that invite people to care for each other and the environment around them. Through the program’s focus on a global education, she was eager to collaborate with others and channel her passion for the arts into UN Sustainable Development Goal #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. For Caroline, community-centered third places have always been irreplaceable and ever-present. Looking back, the lessons learned outside of the traditional classroom setting are the ones she still carries with her today. While third places have been integral to her learning experience, they are slowly and steadily disappearing. Often overlooked by policymakers, many of these community centers have been closing their doors due to a lack of funding. As a GLASS scholar, Caroline will explore ways that we can continue fostering third places as accessible hubs for knowledge in a digital society.