Voices

Hopkins is a diverse university where an incredible mix of cultures, academic interests and personalities coexist and thrive. Here is the section where you can publish your unique thoughts, ideas and perspectives on life at Hopkins and beyond.

Resurrecting an Italian Christmas culinary tradition

 
December 4, 2019

Every time I return from a break in the espresso-stained, red sauce–laden part of New Jersey I call home, I feel uneasy. I just spent a week consuming at least three cloves of garlic a day and beginning all conversations at a 7/10, but as I try to ...

Growing up celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah

By ADDY PERLMAN | December 4, 2019

Once upon a time in a flyover town, an only child slept in her wooden castle and was tucked away in her princess-themed tower, which overlooked the splatter-shaped moat with a swirling slide attached. Her blinds were drawn, and under the covers, she read with her flashlight because the anticipation of Christmas morning was overwhelming. The cookies were iced and were waiting downstairs for Santa Claus. Carrots and nuts for the hardworking reindeer occupied an extra dog bowl on the brick front step.

TED EYTAN/CC BY-SA 2.0 AND PUBLIC DOMAIN Perlman reflects on celebrating two different winter holidays as a child. 
COURTESY OF KATY WILNER Wilner is relearning the value of being alone after years in relationships.

Using a semester in Paris to fall in love with myself

By KATY WILNER | December 5, 2019

I have never been a very independent person. It’s not simply that I enjoy the company of others, but the idea of doing certain things alone fills me with debilitating dread.  This kind of thinking used to limit so much of what I could do, whether it be going to a restaurant, taking a trip or even riding the metro alone. I make my friends do everything with me, even if it is something as mundane as buying groceries.

Learning to confront my conflicts with friends

By ARPAN SAHOO | December 4, 2019

The first article I wrote for this column was called “Investing more in my relationships with others.” In it, I discussed my desire to be a better son, brother and friend by putting my all into my interactions with others.

COURTESY OF KELVIN QIAN Qian’s time with his dance group, the Eclectics, reminded him of a life beyond consumerism.

Searching for meaning during the crisis of consumerism

By KELVIN QIAN | November 20, 2019

We live in an age of crisis. The ice caps are melting and the forests are burning. Above all else, if headlines are to be believed, we face the possibility of an uninhabitable Earth, societal collapse and human extinction. I’ve thought a lot about this over the past year or so. Unsurprisingly, this made me sad. 

Looking forward to a semester abroad in Sweden

By ELIZABETH IM | November 20, 2019

Here’s the news: I’m studying abroad this spring in Stockholm, Sweden. I have been dreaming of it since my senior year of high school and I am more than thrilled. However, I was surprised by my own hesitance to commit when I received the email that I had been accepted to the program.

PUBLIC DOMAIN While it was hard to say goodbye, Im is excited for her semester abroad.
PUBLIC DOMAIN Buying a laptop encapsulates Farrar’s fiscal anxiety as a low income student.

The stress of high-stakes and limited-income life

By SAMUEL FARRAR | November 20, 2019

I have to buy a new computer. Well, I don’t have to, technically speaking. But the screen is split open almost all the way around. Some keys have to be typed three times before they register. And I must always arrive to my classes that meet once a week rather early and make a beeline to an outlet, because the battery won’t last the two-and-a-half hour time slot. 

How to truly take a day off when you’re stressed

By SANIYA RAMCHANDANI | November 20, 2019

So it’s been a stressful week (as every other week at Hopkins tends to be) and all you want to do is curl up on your couch with warm cider and watch a movie. But it’s a Monday night and you have an early morning class tomorrow that you just can’t skip and a quiz on Wednesday that you just have to spend the whole of the next afternoon in Brody studying for. 

COURTESY OF KATY WILNER Wilner reflects on how she has managed her eating disorder while studying abroad in France.

Grappling with my eating disorder while abroad

By KATY WILNER | November 21, 2019

In case you haven’t seen Ratatouille, let me tell you how much the French love their food. Unlike in the States, where people juice their breakfast to drink on-the-go, in France, meal time is a serious part of the day. Most working adults take at least an hour to stop working, sit in a restaurant and eat a multi-course lunch.

What learning about other cultures has taught me

By BONNIE JIN | November 15, 2019

Although Sasha looked upset, I grasped her hand in mine and pulled her up to stand. Herr Neumann gestured for our orchestra of odd instruments to take a bow. Lights flooded the church hall as families stood to congratulate their children. As an exchange student, I didn’t expect my own, but I still smiled and scanned the audience for familiar faces. I turned to congratulate Sasha on her solo in our adaptation of Schubert, only to be met with unfocused eyes to the floor, her lips downturned. 

COURTESY OF BONNIE JIN Jin reflects on the ways Americans can learn from the rest of the world.

How to practice self care in these stressful times

By GABI SWISTARA | November 14, 2019

Lots of people talk about self-care — “time for a self-care night” or “you should spend time on self-care” — but people tend to not always know what it is or to not think it’s that important. So this is a) a bit of advice about how to do self-care well and b) a reminder to go take care of yourself. 

Learning when to stop pushing through the pain

By DIVA PAREKH | November 14, 2019

It’s been about three years since I fell off a horse in a village in Peru. When I went to the hospital, they didn’t have a doctor in the building, so they just cleaned up the bleeding and sent me on my way. 

COURTESY OF DIVA PAREKH A horseback riding fall taught Parekh the value of prioritizing her health.
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Why I continue to torture myself with bad media

By CLAIRE BEAVER | November 30, 2019

This week I’ve decided to get back to my roots a bit and talk about why I do this godforsaken column in the first place. Since my time as Art & Entertainment Editor of The News-Letter came to an end last semester, I had an art-shaped hole in my heart that I needed to fill. I’d been wanting to start a column for a while, and suddenly I found myself with some extra time and a dream.

To the Hopkins and Baltimore community: thank you

By ALEX WALINSKAS | November 13, 2019

With my December graduation fast approaching (and my senioritis hitting hard), I’ve been sitting with nostalgia and reflection on the past 3.5 years at Hopkins. I never expected to devote as much time as I have in college to policy and politics, but I’m so thankful that my experiences at Hopkins guided me in this direction. Consider this week’s column both a “thank you, Hopkins community” and a “wow, I made it!” note.

COURTESY OF ALEX WALKINSKAS During a semester in Washington, D.C., Walinskas met fellow policy wonks.
COURTESY OF KATY WILNER Wilner has had a few awkward encounters in Parisian coffee shops.

Embracing the personal humiliation of learning a language abroad

By KATY WILNER | November 13, 2019

I’ve always wanted to study abroad in Paris. In high school, I chose French even though I was living in Los Angeles and should have chosen Spanish. I always held on to the idea that one day I would be walking along the Seine, eating a croissant, holding hands with a real live French man.

Looking at the history of Hopkins work culture

By ADDY PERLMAN | November 6, 2019

This week I held a document from 1976. What did you do? Have you ever noticed that glass room in the library with all the leather-bound books and the old-fashioned Hopkins sweater? I didn’t until this year, when I finally started exploring the archives. And then I came across an article written by April Moreno, a senior at Hopkins in 1976, so here is my response.

COURTESY OF ELIZABETH IM After reading an article from 1976, Perlman saw similarities to today.
COURTESY OF ZUBIA HASAN Hasan reflects on how she’s changed and stayed the same since high school.

How I’ve grown and changed since starting college

By ZUBIA HASAN | November 6, 2019

This article was going to be many things, but what it was not going to be was this nostalgic throwback to my freshman-year-fresh-out-of-high-school-self. But a Snapchat memory, some hasty scrolling back to 2017 and some three hours later, here I was thinking about how much has changed and how much has stayed the same.

Why I chose fashion instead of astrophysics

By SANIYA RAMCHANDANI | November 6, 2019

Let’s begin with some context: When I was 13 years old, all I wanted to be in life was a corporate lawyer. No, seriously — beyond just watching Suits, I read LSAT prep books and even joined Model United Nations (because there was no mock trial) to get some experience formulating arguments and public speaking. Then I turned 15 and was introduced to astrophysics; I’d always loved physics, but I really didn’t want to spend my life looking at hypothetical frictionless ramps, and at that point I didn’t even really think there was more to it. 

COURTESY OF SANIYA RAMCHANDANI Ramchandani found a community in Marque, the student fashion magazine.
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The ultimate survival guide for any Friendsgiving

By FRANK GUERRIERO | November 11, 2019

It’s potluck season. Depending on your tolerance for your roommates’ drunk friends and slices of desiccated turkey breast, that may be a good or a bad thing. But like it or not, the next week or so holds the sure promise of a Friendsgiving Facebook invite rudely interrupting the Tasty video you’re watching in class.