Jade Ascencio ’17

I was born in Burgundy, France and have lived in Dijon, France; Paris, France; and New York. When I began my university search, I deliberately looked outside of the French system: I wanted to be able to choose my own classes, examine a wide variety of topics, build my interests through the classes of my choice, and be encouraged towards greater autonomy and creativity in my work. I found all of that at AUP.

I’m now double-majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and International Economics, with a minor in Applied Mathematics. I came to AUP knowing that I’d want to enter the PPE program but after taking classes in different subject areas, I felt compelled to pursue these other academic paths as well. Even so, many of my favorite classroom moments revolve around subjects outside of those specializations, like learning about the first trade routes in one of my first history classes here.

I’ve always found that AUP’s faculty and staff are extremely attentive to the needs of students and that in our learning environment, each of our opinions and thoughts is valued and honored. Here, I’ve uncovered many of the ideas and arguments that now guide my political and personal reflections and my professors have helped me develop my critical thinking skills as well as expand my knowledge base and the references that I can call upon. I also appreciate how AUP encourages us to take part in outside activities, and I now volunteer to help kids in my neighborhood with their homework.  

Our small class sizes radically change our relationship with the material being taught, as does the independence we’re given to conduct research and structure discussions. All of us are given the space and time to experiment and discover what we believe, who we are, and how we want to interact with the given subject and the world around us.