Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 30, 2025 April 30, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Magazine

COURTESY OF SHIRLENE JOHN John describes her favorite places at Hopkins and what these places mean to her.

My favorite moments at Hopkins

By SHIRLENE JOHN | April 10, 2025

I know that I’m a sentimental person. I tend to hold onto the very bits of all my memories, littering my room with the edges of ticket stubs and plane tickets, books that have been bent in a million ways and bills from dinners out with friends. As I add to this collection, I find that my last semester at Hopkins has made me feel more nostalgic than usual. I’m thinking back to all my memories — from all the seemingly insignificant ones that now define who I am to the tears and frustrations that I think have made me more resilient. However, at the end of the day, I think my four years here will hold a special place in my heart.

COURTESY OF SAMHI BOPPANA Boppana in 2009. 

Me as a child versus me today

By SAMHI BOPPANA | April 10, 2025

When I look back at child-me, it’s easy to see what has changed. I’ve gotten taller, older and less clumsy (arguably). My hobbies have shifted from playing with Barbies and American Girl Dolls to reading, watching movies and exploring new restaurants. I’m not as picky of an eater anymore and have expanded my palette to different cuisines and foods I would’ve previously shunned.

COURTESY OF ANNE LI Li describes how she learned to love herself.

The light that lives within

By ANNE LI | April 10, 2025

I’d like to think that I’ve done many hard things in life: I moved to a new country; I learned to speak English fluently in a household that did not; I got accepted into the college of my dreams as a first generation student. But learning to love myself was the hardest thing I’ve ever learned to do.

COURTESY OF ARANTZA GARCIA In a bookshop looking for my next book at age 15. I had just finished reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire at this time.

Bookmarked

By ARANTZA GARCIA | April 10, 2025

Looking through my favorites, it’s easy to think of my bookshelf as a biography. In reality, it is a mirror. Each time you revisit a book, a small trace of yourself gets snagged between the lines, the smudges accumulating like heights marked on the walls of a childhood home.

COURTESY OF RUBEN DIAZ Diaz offers advice on how to fully appreciate every aspect of yourself and live unapologetically.

The power to become

By RUBEN DIAZ | April 10, 2025

I think people spend too much time talking about who they want to be and not enough time talking about who they already are. It’s always about the next step; the next goal; the next milestone. Nobody ever asks, “What’s your favorite thing about yourself today?”

COURTESY OF TALIA LEHRER A view of Eagles fans at the 2025 Super Bowl Parade in Philadelphia.

We bleed green

By TALIA LEHRER | April 10, 2025

Through my veins runs a liquid similar to everyone else's, but as a Philadelphia Eagles fan, the sustenance has a unique color and composition we sum up as “green.”

COURTESY OF JULIA MENDES QUEIROZ Mendes Queiroz suggests visiting Oriole Park at Camden Yards to help settle into Baltimore.

My favorite places in Baltimore

By JULIA MENDES QUEIROZ | April 10, 2025

As I approach the end of my undergraduate career at Hopkins, I’m looking forward to new adventures and novelty. I wanted to share some recommendations for places that have become some of me and my friends’ favorite spots in the city, in hopes that they will help you explore and better acclimate to your new home. 

COURTESY OF RESHMITA NAYUDU Exploring a bookstore in D.C.!

A life defined by stories

By RESHMITA NAYUDU | April 10, 2025

If I had to define my life, I would choose to define it not by what I’ve accomplished, but rather by the books I’ve read. I’ve spent my whole life passing from one story to the next. To me, it isn’t a choice to pick up the next book but, rather, a need to consume words. 

COURTESY OF KAITLIN TAN Low tide at sunset in Boracay, Philippines.

A letter to my past self

By KAITLIN TAN | April 10, 2025

Let’s start small: I’m sitting at my desk in Baltimore. It’s piled full of books I’ve been reading for classes: stacks of novellas and chapbooks, a linguistics textbook, and a handful of children’s books. Beside me is an oven-safe ceramic; within it sits a raw, frozen chocolate croissant, ready to thaw and rise while I sleep.

COURTESY OF KAYLEE NGUYEN Nguyen living out her dream as a princess.

Princess, doctor or author

By KAYLEE NGUYEN | April 10, 2025

I always knew that I wanted to be a princess. Golden castles, sparkling gowns and a kingdom that adored me: What more could a little girl want? 

COURTESY OF AYDEN MIN Min discusses her (admittedly cliche) dream of true love, and how this has grown and changed to mean something much different.

Finding love in the right places

By AYDEN MIN | April 10, 2025

If you’re looking for a swoonworthy romance, Los Angeles is probably not the first place to go. I guess you could say it’s “romantic” in a sense: Cherry-red sunsets lining cobalt waves are taken for granted and star-studded Hollywood lives just around the corner, but it’s not the place for an Audrey Hepburn kind of meet cute. 

COURTESY OF RESHAM TALWAR Talwar reflects on her childhood growing up in New Delhi and the changes she experienced since she moved away. 

Making and becoming

By RESHAM TALWAR | April 10, 2025

I grew up in New Delhi, India — a city where summers blaze relentlessly, where the streets never sleep and where every corner hums with stories waiting to be told. 

COURTESY OF ARANTZA GARCIA Mulani highlights that stepping out of her comfort zone was integral to achieving personal growth. 

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

By YANA MULANI | April 10, 2025

I was around ten when I first heard the phrase “comfort zone.” It was uttered by my favorite YouTuber at the time in her Monthly Favorites video, and I decided that I wanted to build up my comfort zone — now, at 21, I think I’ve done too good of a job.

COURTESY OF RUBAN DIAZ Diaz breaks down his top tips for realistic and achievable goal-setting.

Set, slay, repeat

By RUBEN DIAZ | April 10, 2025

Let’s be honest — goal-setting sounds amazing in theory. Every January, millions of people, including me, sit down with fresh enthusiasm, ready to finally get their life together. And for a solid week (if we're lucky), we actually do it. 

COURTESY OF JULIA SCHAGER Schager discusses the importance of consciously observing a day of rest each week, which has helped her appreciate mindfulness and prioritize personal growth.

How I recharge

By JULIA SCHAGER | April 10, 2025

Despite being the shortest month in the Gregorian Calendar, February — the month of love and Punxsutawney Phil — can feel endless. As someone from the Northeast, I’m used to the cold. However, the grey slush barricading the Baltimore roadways is not a very welcome change. The winter Sunday is a short, dark blip marketed as a day of rest in the vein of the long-standing religious tradition observed by people across the world: the Sabbath.

COURTESY OF MYRA SAEED Pidgey Friend, one of Myra’s lanterns during fall semester’s seemingly endless night.

Picking up my broken pieces

By MYRA SAEED | April 10, 2025

At first, it seemed like things were falling into place. But, despite how hard I tried to deny it, cracks were forming within me. 

COURTESY OF HARMONY LIU Liu with friends, present day.

Stages of growth

By HARMONY LIU | April 10, 2025

Growth is a complicated thing. We often think about it in a positive lens, like shedding our old skin to reveal something beautiful beneath it. Growth can be finding your fashion style, pushing yourself to start a new hobby or learning to love a part of yourself you’ve hated. But, it can also be letting go of a friend, giving up on something you no longer enjoy or picking up a bad habit.

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