Emma's research project analyzed declassified archives to examine how Cold War–era US foreign policy supported Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile and contributed to the practice of enforced disappearances. Drawing on archival sources and visits to human rights museums and former detention centers, the project connected this history to ongoing struggles for democracy and justice today.
As a queer, first-generation college student, and community college transfer, my journey through higher education has been defined by continually proving to myself that I’m capable of achieving things I once thought were impossible. Not only did I prove to myself that I’m capable of living abroad and learning a second language, but I also fell in love with Chile and now dream of being able to move back.
Emma Pontius
Senior | UC Berkeley | Chile | History and Spanish Linguistics