"Undergraduates in our interdisciplinary INDS 330 Ways of Knowing course read, among other texts, two works related to taking ownership of one’s education: Adrienne Rich’s commencement speech entitled “Claiming an Education” and Nick Sousanis’ book “Unflattening.” Why are these authors’ voices important to our conversation? As Rich impresses upon her audience of female undergraduates at Douglass College, choosing to be active or passive on the campus of a modern university can mean the difference between life and death. Sousanis, quoting LaTour, reminds us that Emancipation means “well attached” rather than “freed from bonds.” Given their attachments and the many ways that systems have “flattened” them, what tools and resources can we offer to our undergraduates at UMBC to empower them? This paper will review our course design and student work in our INDS 330 course where students combine logos, ethos, and pathos to construct two “Major Deliverables” with the following prompts: 1. Why am I a student at university? 2. Describe your goals after university and why these are your goals. In light of those goals, explain how your college plan will prepare you. Three case studies of student essays will be included in this analysis. "