Undergraduate spotlight: Solange Sylvain

Solange Sylvain is majoring in Economics and minoring in African and African American Studies. Sylvain is also part of Stanford Club Soccer, the Stanford Black Creative Collective, a campus tour guide, and recently helped put together the second edition of Notes from the Farm, a collection of stories of graduating seniors to give to incoming freshmen to foster belonging.

Why did you choose to participate in the Honors Program in Ethics in Society?

I chose to participate in EiS because I've always been deeply excited about writing a thesis on American value systems, and this program allowed me to do so in an interdisciplinary and flexible way. Coming from the field of Economics, which is a fairly methodologically rigid discipline, I thought this program would enable me to write freely by being able to write a somewhat original argument. Also, I really wanted to be in a program that permitted me to question existing assumptions and norms of our world, many of which are embedded within our economic models. Unfortunately, Economics does not often grant the permission to do this sort of critique, so I jumped at the chance that EiS offered to pursue normative questions and consider how to build a better world.

What was the most rewarding aspect of your experience in the Honors Program?

This is certainly obvious, but by far the most rewarding aspect of the experience has been the process of writing the thesis. I've been thinking about this project for so long, and have gone back and forth on the structure, tone, and frame since last year. Once I got to finish the outline, it was so fun to finally give words to the ideas and images I've had swirling in my head throughout this project. This paper is far from perfect, but it is definitely a labor of love for my topic, and writing has really crystalized this passion for me.

What is your honors thesis research? 

The goal of my project is to critique American development, a critique that was largely inspired by my time in my own neighborhood of Harlem, New York and the time I spent outside of the country through abroad programs in Ghana and Paris. In Harlem, a vibrant black and immigrant neighborhood, I've noticed the culture begin to disappear as new luxury high rises have appeared and restaurants and shops that are emblematic of the Harlem culture have been demolished. While I was abroad, I noticed how many of the way cities seek to urbanize follows along this same vision of replacement and demolition, growth and destruction. The goal of my research was to figure out where this development ideology came from, and potentially propose alternatives such that neighborhoods like Harlem are not erased.

What opportunities would you like to pursue within the next five years?

Over the next couple of years, I'm looking to pursue work within economic research and policy, as a means to find a way to make our worlds, both within cities and outside of them, look more equitable and socially sustainable. I'm also really interested in questions of development and urbanization, so I'm interested in spending time abroad to pursue questions I have about Western power and dependency.