Sensi Messner-Baker

Fulbright University of St Andrews Summer Institute - Scotland's History: Kingdom, Nation, People

Sensi Messner-Baker is a rising junior at American University in Washington, D.C., where she studies Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Legal Studies. Originally from Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, she is passionate about education and disability advocacy, gender justice, and the role of law in advancing equity. She is committed to reforming and building systems that recognize and support the full complexity of people’s identities and needs

At the University of St. Andrews, Sensi is looking forward to exploring the intersections of culture, identity, and colonialism, with a particular interest in Scottish Gaelic language revitalization and cultural preservation. She is particularly interested in comparing U.S. and Scottish approaches to disability legislation and educational accommodations, analyzing how cultural attitudes shape the implementation of legal protections. She also hopes to draw connections between the cultural marginalization of the Scottish Highlands and her home region of Appalachia.

During the Summer Institute, Sensi looks forward to engaging in academic seminars, cross-cultural dialogue, and community-based learning. She hopes to return to the U.S. with a broader global understanding of advocacy, identity, and legal systems, insights she plans to carry into a future career in family, reproductive rights, and education law.