I’m Alicen— a fourth-year undergraduate student at Elon University. I study policy and compete in both track and field and cross country. Originally from Springfield, Missouri, I’ve grown to love the East Coast, but I’m still a Midwesterner at heart.

This is a space where I reflect on what I’m learning through experience, service, and studying the systems that hold our world together, or threaten to pull it apart. My writing moves between creative and analytical, from poetry and short essays to engaging politics, policy, and intellectual curiosity.

I’m especially drawn to questions of justice, society and security, and what it means to live with both integrity and impact. I’m interested in patterns, connecting ideas across domains, and synthesizing meaning and alternatives from complex realities.

At the heart of my writing is a genuine love for the world, and an equal drive to challenge it. My goal is to think deeply and live intentionally.