Brigid Connelly (she/her) graduated from the Columbia School of General Studies ’20 with a B.A. in Religion. A native Brooklynite, Brigid now lives on the west coast and is studying for her clinical doctorate in occupational therapy at the University of Southern California. Her personal and research interests include meaning making in illness and dis/ability, occupational justice, and accessible design and aesthetics.
As an RCSS intern, Brigid worked closely with Dr. Craig Blinderman and served twice (’18, ’19) as the teaching assistant for the seminar “Life at the End of Life: Palliative Care and Service.” Through her project, Brigid deepened her commitment to, and advocacy for, questions of medical ethics and human socio-emotional, existential, and ecological interdependence. Brigid considers her time spent working as a member of the RCSS—in classrooms and offices, over emails and lunch,—as a cornerstone of her experience at Columbia, and a living representation of what may be possible when there is community, commitment, and service without hierarchy.