Many things in Robin Bellows’ life can be expressed through a walk in the woods: there are steep spots and flat sections, unexpected waterfalls and beautiful views from the most challenging parts of the trail. Born in 1987 in Oakland, California, Robin grew up in statistically one of the most diverse regions of the country, nurturing loves of cooking chicken soup with her grandmother, trying new and different foods, spending time in nature, and playing the folk harp. She began to care about poverty and socioeconomic development, both in neighborhoods close at home and in farther regions of the world. Robin’s strongest adolescent experiences include backpacking through Yosemite with the Joie Armstrong Scholars program to discover community, independence, and self-reflection and spending a summer in a small village in rural Michoacán, Mexico. Currently an Environmental Science and Public Policy concentrator, Robin hopes to find and promote sustainable ways of developing health, cultural, and environmental systems around the world. She also studies Arabic, loves dancing, and is continually looking for ways to include music, good community, a sense of perspective on the world, and the strong, straightforward lessons of living in the out-of-doors in her life. Robin was elected as co-president for 2006-07 of the Harvard College Inter-Faith Council.

HCH: What does Humanism Mean to You?

Robin: I am continually learning more about what “Humanism” is and continue to create what it means for me to be a Humanist. But my values and ideals are much the same as before I had ever heard of Humanism: caring for the world, being good to others, remaining true to yourself, living a moral life. Practice and contemplation move and motivate me to do these things. There is still room for spirituality, a spirituality that may connect to and inspire the principles I am most passionate about or occur comfortably within their framework. The word “Humanism” is a label I can place over my thoughts and actions, connecting me with people who are asking similar questions about the world.

HCH: How did you learn about Humanism?

Although it may seem unusual, I first heard of humanism through Harvard’s Inter-Faith Council. After growing up in a secular, mixed Jewish and Protestant household, I went to explore what different religions meant to the people who practiced them. Discovering Humanism along the way led me to clarify my own beliefs and motivations; my search for understanding of religions continues. Humanism provided a framework for looking at the world, combining reason with experience, and still having morals. Even the name “Humanism” fit to my belief in humanity, in human good being sufficient inspiration to lead a good life and in human action possibly being strong enough to make the world a better place. Learning more about Humanist ideas required me to start thinking and to explore my own beliefs and trace ideas down to their roots. While I became more confident about many of my values, I was forced to grapple with inconsistensies and blank spots in my beliefs about the nature and purpose of community, of diversity, of dialogue; I hope this made me a stronger, more clear person. Through a Humanist perspective, I still think it is acceptable for others to have different beliefs than I do, including beliefs that I do not understand. With open minds, we can coexist, and possibly shed insight into each others’ worlds over time.