Aliza Deen loves anime, so when her English professor suggested making it the focus of a joint project, she jumped right in.
鈥淢y friend Melissa Mounier 鈥�20 and I analyzed the portrayal of femininity in anime,鈥� Aliza says. 鈥淥ur project was important to us because anime often portrays women as hyper-sexualized.鈥� The students鈥� research revealed, however, that the magical girl genre, in which female protagonists can transform into magical beings, is an exception to the rule. 鈥淕irls fight battles without the help of men and make changes themselves, giving a much more positive image of women to anime鈥檚 large young female audience,鈥� Aliza explains.
While her plan is to become a social worker鈥擜liza just began the NYU Silver MSW program at 天涯海角社区鈥攕he is an honor student and has added a double major in English to her Psychology studies because she loves reading and writing. 鈥淏eing an English major is incredibly fun but also practical,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou learn to look not only at literature critically but also things in everyday life.鈥�
When she鈥檚 not reading or playing video games, the self-described 鈥淧okemon nerd鈥� manages three freshwater aquariums at home ranging in size from 46 gallons to 3.5 gallons. This hobby began when her family lived in an apartment that didn鈥檛 allow any pets鈥攅xcept fish. Aliza has since learned a good deal about different species, thanks to a summer job at PetSmart, and her tanks include Bolivian Ram cichlids and two German Blue Ran cichlids, aggressive fish that provide daily entertainment for her cat Carla.
For her psychology practicum last semester, Aliza volunteered at a senior center and the experience was rewarding. 鈥淚 got to know the seniors and the center leaders and I ended up having a lot of fun meeting with the seniors every week and playing ping pong with them and watching them play card games. You learn a lot when you sit down with them.鈥�
One of Aliza鈥檚 best memories of her time at STAC was visiting The University of Oxford with other members of the honors class last summer. She took a Shakespeare class and enjoyed seeing Measure for Measure and As You Like It at the theater, experiences that gave her a new appreciation of plays. She also learned what a punt is and had fun floating in one down the river. 鈥淩eturning to Oxford is high on my travel list right next to visiting Tokyo,鈥� Aliza says, adding that she also enjoys traveling to see her family in the Philippines.
For her career, Aliza wants to be a school social worker. 鈥淒uring high school, I realized the importance of having support while attending school,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here were many students with problems that weren鈥檛 being attended to, even after they reached out. I felt inspired to be someone that reached out to them instead.鈥�