Global Studies Capstone Project

As a Global Studies major, I needed to complete a capstone project, where I was tasked with "think global, act local." I partnered with a friend and we focused on disability awareness and funding in Baltimore.

With the ongoing political climate, it was hard to find a community partner for the project; non-profits were stretched too thin to take on onboarding someone else, even if it meant free labor. Liv and I decided on going forward without an explicit partner, looking instead to The Arc Baltimore and the recent funding cuts to DDA. 

There was almost $500 million in budget cuts proposed when we started this project, and 90% ended up being restored by the time we were done! This funding helps over 25,000 Maryland residents yearly, and that big of a cut would negatively impact everyone. We decided to write a petition urging Gov. Moore to restore the necessary funding, and present the petition at the upcoming One Question event that happens on campus each year. 

While Gov. Moore restored 64% of the funding quickly, our petition was aimed at further restoration, bringing the percentage up to at least 80. That way, while 100% is needed, with 80% of the budget, we were hoping that vital daily services wouldn't need to be cut, like home visits. 

Liv and I presented our research and petition at the event, and over 70 students ended up signing our petition! The DDA funding was restored to 90% of its original value, and we got the undergrad campus involved with local government. It was amazing to work on this topic, and we were able to present on it later in the month with our capstone poster session. 

Below: Our Poster from the 2025 Global Studies Capstone Poster Session!