22
Wednesday, September 2, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
LUKENS: Sisters
woman will return to
England this month
Continued from page 3
do not just one, but two, inde-
pendent study courses on top-
ics of her interest that weren9t
covered in depth in the regu-
lar curriculum.
As a senior in high school,
Lukens did most of her
coursework at Central Oregon
Community College through
the Expanded Options pro-
gram, which she says not only
prepared her more for her
next steps, but enriched her
educational experience.
<COCC is a great school
and I am so glad I had the
opportunity to take classes
there,= she said.
When it came to deciding
what school to attend after
graduation from high school,
Lukens initially considered
staying in Oregon after being
admitted to Oregon State
University, but she had got-
ten a taste of England at age
10 on a trip with her family,
which got her thinking about
other options.
<I thought that getting
fully immersed in another
culture, rather than just going
abroad for one term, would be
fascinating,= she said. <And it
turns out it was true.=
Bachelor9s degrees in the
U.K. are completed in three
years, so Lukens will gradu-
ate in May with a degree in
social work, which will allow
her to practice in the region.
However, she is applying for
Master9s programs with a
focus on human rights law.
Her intention is to attend a
campus in a larger city after
three years on the Warrenton
campus, which is situated in
a town not much larger than
Sisters, where she can experi-
ence more diversity.
While she says her experi-
ence of studying overseas has
been positive, it has not come
without some challenges.
<One thing that surprised
me is having strangers asking
me rather blunt and intrusive
questions about my origins,=
said Lukens, who was adopted
from India. <People were con-
fused by my accent in relation
to my skin tone, expecting me
to sound like someone from
India rather than sounding
like an American.=
Some of these encounters
were based solely in curiosity,
according to Lukens, while
others <felt a bit hostile,=
which she had never experi-
enced before.
<In Sisters I have always
just been Alana,= she said.
<And I have certainly expe-
rienced and witnessed
xenophobia.=
Lukens is the president
of the International Student
Society at Chester, so she
rubs elbows with students
from a number of other coun-
tries and has learned first-
hand some legal restrictions,
some of which she believes
are unfair, that are placed on
international students regard-
ing being able to work in the
U.K.
As is her way, Lukens
decided to take action.
<I wanted to be able to
earn some money while in
school, but quickly learned
that the law only allowed
me to do very menial labor
with very strict hour limits,=
she said. <I found I couldn9t
tutor, I couldn9t teach music
lessons, freelance or do any-
thing artistic for pay. About
all I could do was work in low
wage jobs, like at the little
pharmacy down the street.=
Her concern over this
issue led her to initiate a peti-
tion and ultimately to arrange
a meeting with a mem-
ber of Parliament from the
Warrington District, which is
set for September 1 via Zoom
during which she hopes to
relay her concerns and pro-
mote change.
The onset of the COVID-
19 pandemic spurred Lukens
into action on other matters as
well. She thought she would
be coming home to Sisters in
March, but her ticket got can-
celed and she found herself
stuck, isolated in her room.
Ever active and always think-
ing, Lukens found herself ask-
ing, <What can I be doing dur-
ing this time?=
Her answer was to start
an online blog and Instagram
p l a t f o r m c a l l e d < T h e
Empowerment Project,= with
focus on well-being, men-
tal health, cultural aware-
ness, diversity/inclusion, and
activism through promot-
ing empowerment of ethnic
minorities and vulnerable
populations.
Her launch of the project,
which is multi-layered, has
resulted in hundreds of fol-
lowers and even a connec-
tion with a women9s group in
Uganda for which she is shar-
ing curriculum that she has
developed focused on wom-
en9s empowerment.
<I always feel like I should
be making an impact some-
how beyond just doing things
for myself,= she said. <I like
the feeling that I am moving
forward.=
Lukens says she is inspired
by women like Meghan
Markle, the Duchess of
Sussex; and Michelle Obama,
former first lady.
<These women started
relatively 8normal9 lives and
ultimately found themselves
in positions where they can
really make a difference,=
she said. <I hope that I can
meet one or both of them
someday.=
She continued her work
on the project while back in
Sisters this summer and will
proceed to do so as she returns
to Chester in early September.
Ever-busy, Lukens has also
continued pursuing her love
of music through songwriting
and recording.
<I am glad I can keep
music as part of my life, sort
of on the side, where I can
control it,= she said.
Alana is the daughter of
Miki McFadden and Peggy
Lukens of Sisters.
Those interested in learn-
ing more can access Lukens9
work at www.instagram.com/
empowerment_p.r.o.j.e.c.t/.
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PHOTO BY AL KRAUSE
Spectacular sunsets have continued through fire season.
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Comments? Email
editor@nuggetnews.com
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