Congratulations to all of the students of React, the 2020 iteration of the annual Threads fashion show at the School of Human Ecology (SoHE). Every year, our students plan, promote, and host this elaborate event, collaborating across majors and departments to present a show that stimulates conversation on a theme of their choosing. So, they ask of the contributors to this viewbook: “What are you reacting to?”
Given the COVID-19 global pandemic this spring, their question could not have been more prescient, nor their response so representative of the way we think and work and learn at the School of Human Ecology. We are nimble, compassionate, creative, and holistic in how we approach problems. Transitioning this show for the first time ever to a fully online experience in little more than a month? Daunting, yes. But our students rose to the occasion, even while also reckoning with their own losses and life changes due to the outbreak.
I am proud to see their vision become a reality—or rather, re-vision, in keeping with our learning spirit and turning on a dime to respond to new circumstances. That is the SoHE way: pursuing immersive, hands-on experience of study, strategy, real-world implementation, and evaluation, across all of our four outstanding departments and six majors. If this piques your interest, I invite you to learn more at sohe.wisc.edu.
Meanwhile, on with the show!
Dr. Soyeon Shim
Dean, School of Human Ecology