Politics Major Wants to Help Fix Foster Care

Zoriana Moulton: 'Catholic University is home'

Why did you choose Catholic University? I chose to attend Catholic University because I wanted to be on a beautiful campus in the middle of a modern and growing city. Catholic gave me ample opportunity to grow and flourish. The variety of events and student organizations made me excited to get involved on campus. I am a politics major and I know I am on the best path for my career being in the heart of Washington, D.C. I look forward to interning on Capitol Hill as I become an upperclassman.

What activities have you been involved with? I am a team captain for orientation this year, helping to lead my fellow orientation advisors to be the best versions of themselves and to know the most about the school for our first years. I am a programming chair for the Program Board. I am the treasurer for the Dance Company, a dance group welcoming dancers of any style or talent. I am also a member of College Democrats, IGNITE, the Pre-Law Society, BSA, and the Spanish Club. I also worked in the Office of Campus Activities as a consultant this last semester. I am additionally involved as an admissions fellow in the Office of Admission.

Impact of CatholicU's D.C. location: The Catholic University location has made my student experience so amazing. I could never go to a school that didn’t allow me to learn more about the world right outside of my campus. There are so many different places to eat, learn, and hang out with friends. One of my favorite things to do is to go down to Adam’s Morgan and find foods that I have never tried before. It has made me more aware of my surroundings and the social issues at large. I have gone to many marches, the Women’s March was my favorite. There are so many amazing things to do in D.C., from walks along the National Mall to going to farmers markets across the city to just get a quick slice at Pizza Bolis.

Favorite course: My favorite course was Politics 111, Introduction to American Government. While it is a course you take early on, it changed the trajectory of the school for me. I came into Catholic University with a social work major intending on a politics minor. Yet, this class changed so much for me. Dr. Dianna Rich was one of the best professors I have ever had. She was so passionate not only about American government but also about getting us all to learn. I gained so much knowledge in that class that greatly helps me in every single class after. She helped recognize the changes I can make on a bigger scale to help less fortunate people. I am currently concentrating in American government and law. I would not have known everything I needed to know about the processes of the United States government without her class. These processes were a basis for the internship I had with the Biden+Harris campaign in the fall of 2020. I was able to fully understand how the voting process worked in order to better be a part of my internship.
 

What are your goals for the future? After my undergrad at Catholic University, I would like to go to law school to study advocacy law to fight for the rights of marginalized groups. One of the things I have always been interested in is the foster care system. Our foster care system has many flaws that hinder the lives of children. There are many instances of abuse and neglect within the foster care system. I want to help look at ways that we can reform this system to make these children prepared and stable for society. I am sick of hearing the stories of children coming out of the system and living in the streets. I want to help make it the norm that the system opens up opportunities for these children to flourish in our society.

Is there a faculty or staff member who has made a significant impact on you? While Dianna Rich was my impact from my last answer, I would say that Greta Haussmann has been able to make the biggest impact on me in the shortest amount of time. Greta is the assistant director of campus activities at Catholic University. While I worked as a consultant in the Office of Campus Activities, Greta welcomed me with open arms. She took an interest in my goals and what was going on with me. Greta reminded me how much I loved working with events for students on campus. In high school, I planned many events for my class as well as two proms. She pushed me to work towards the same thing here, and that is why I applied for Program Board. I now have the opportunity to plan our Mistletoe Ball as well as the Movies on the Mall. Greta pushes me to work harder and grow in my own experiences while tactically holding my hand through things when she knows I need it most.

What do you like most about Catholic University? The thing that I like the most about Catholic University is the aspect of community that encompasses everything at the school. Starting with my very first days of orientation, I felt at home at a place I never fully expected to call my home. Every student organization that I got involved with welcomed me with open arms and gave me a chance to learn and grow. While I learned more about the student organizations that I was in, it also got me to learn more about myself. The connectivity of the community is not only reached within our 176 acres of campus but extends into the communities we live in. By going on homeless food runs to volunteering at “So Others Might Eat” to participating in days of service, we not only grow in our community but also the outside communities.

Proudest accomplishment: The thing that I am most proud of that I have accomplished during my time at Catholic is not an award or position. It is the way that I was able to choose the best paths for myself in order to be the happiest version of myself here. My Catholic University family has made it possible to be myself and relish in my ambition. The encouragement and pride that everyone around me has given is highly important to me. The Office of Campus Activities encourages me to try new things and problem solve in the best way possible. Dance Company teaches me patience and openness. Orientation teaches me to unapologetically be me. I am proud that I have opened myself up in ways to learn from my organizations, from student leaders, and from professional staff. Catholic has given me a chance to be myself and call it home.

What Catholic University means to you: One of the moments that has always stuck out to me the most was an interaction I had during my orientation experience. I walked out of the hypnotist show and was scared of the large crowds of people who already seemed like they were best friends with one another. Yet, a group of orientation advisors in red polos swarmed me. They started to ask me about myself and without hesitation they got me to open up and give me advice. They got me to participate in “So Others Might Eat” a soup kitchen style volunteer experience, an experience I was then hired to lead before COVID-19 hit. All of them also inspired me to be an orientation advisor myself, which led me to be a team captain of orientation. Through this experience and these connections I remembered why I chose Catholic University: the community. The community of Catholic University has always been the most important part of going here. I have not heard of any other school that has the same level of connectivity. Catholic University is home.