Lucy Santerre is the APA’s Program Assistant for the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s grant to support diversity institutes in philosophy.
Introduction
I am proud to say that joining the APA in 2018 was the start of my professional career. After graduating from Boston College in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, I completed a year of AmeriCorps service in Portland, Oregon, before returning to my hometown just 20 minutes away from the APA administrative office. I now live in Maine, a land of lush green mountains, rocky (and sandy!) beaches, and quaint river towns. Currently, in addition to working part-time for the APA, I work full time as the social media manager of Maine Public, the state’s PBS and NPR station.
What do you do at the APA?
I have the pleasure of coordinating a variety of resources and events through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. From planning webinars and workshops that aim to support students from diverse backgrounds as they pursue academic philosophy, to coordinating annual meetings of organizers of summer undergraduate diversity institutes in philosophy, I’m working on something different every month!
What is the best part of your job?
Sometimes I recognize Ph.D. students on panels or organizing institutes and I remember when I first saw their names or email addresses a few years prior when they were still undergraduate students attending diversity institutes. When I see people progress through the rigorous steps of pursuing academic philosophy, it gives me hope that the “pipeline” is opening up for students, and perhaps the projects funded by this grant are helping to increase diversity in the field.
What excites you about philosophy?
Philosophy is amazing to me because it only takes one well-taught lesson or one cleverly phrased prompt to bring anyone into a deep conversation. It can be an equalizer in everyday life. It doesn’t matter if someone is a neurosurgeon, a high school student, a data analyst, or an Olympic athlete—we can all interpret the world and learn from each other when we sit down to actively converse about a topic. Though I love philosophy, I never pursued higher study because my favorite part was always the seminars and the Socratic method—I’m more of a talker than a writer!
What do you like to do outside of work?
I practice yoga and meditation, which keeps me feeling mentally and physically balanced. I also enjoy challenging myself to summit new mountains as often as I can, even in the winter in Maine!
Where is your favorite place you have ever traveled and why?
I absolutely love the Colorado Plateau. From Utah to Arizona to Nevada, and of course most of Colorado, there are so many places in that region of the country that never fail to make my jaw drop. Canyons, mesas, volcanoes, deserts, cacti, buffalo, and dark night skies—I’ll gladly return there for more vacations in the future.
