Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 24, 2024

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.



This week's latest "Ask Arden" column answers how to ask your crush.

Ask Arden: Tips on how to ask out your crush

It’s always nerve-wracking to approach your crush, especially when your intentions are to clarify their feelings toward you by asking them out. Ultimately, everybody has their own style, and so, the way that you ask out a specific crush will differ. However, here are some helpful things to consider. 


COURTESY OF ELIZABETH IM
Im looks back on her decision to study abroad in Stockholm this semester.

Reflecting on my first chapter in Stockholm

Last month, I came across a New York Times essay by Ann Napolitano. In her piece, Napolitano shared that she had been writing letters to her future self since the age of 14. Every time Napolitano opened a letter from her past self, she saw how her values and self-understanding evolved over time.


An open letter to survivors of sexual violence

Hello. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. And yet, in the irony of it all, we know each other. We’ve tasted the same agony and we’ve wept the same tears. Our story has consumed both of us like weeds, so much so that it is as if we have lived the same small life. 


PUBLIC DOMAIN
Swistara gives 12 tips to recognize a toxic dynamic with your partner.

Warning signs of an unhealthy relationship

Say you get a promotion at work and, instead of saying, “Congratulations, you deserve this. Let’s celebrate you tonight,” your partner says, “I work just as hard as you do, why haven’t I been promoted?” Not only does this show that your partner does not support you and believe in you, but it also means that, over time, you can internalize these insecurities. 


BRUCEBLAUS / CC By-SA 4.0 
Wilner discusses the sometimes long process of finding the right birth control for everyone.

My mission to find the right birth control for my body

The pros to birth control pills are pretty obvious. Aside from not getting pregnant, the pill promises clearer skin, bigger boobs, predictable periods and the end to cramps. The side effects seem to pale in comparison — the possibility of light spotting between cycles, breast tenderness, fluid retention, nausea and mood changes.


COURTESY OF RUDY MALCOM
News & Features Editor Malcom reflects on the frustrations of flirting with closeted men. 

Looking back on the glass closet from the outside

Let me begin with this: I am not here to out anyone. That said, I sometimes have a thing for closeted men. Maybe it’s the element of forbidden love, maybe it’s self-sabotage, maybe it’s internalized homophobia, maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline. Not to flex, but I found myself kissing one in Uni Mini last spring while waiting for my mozzarella sticks. 



Why Netflix’s Sex Education is so important

As you may know, the Netflix show Sex Education is all the talk these days, and I am one of those disciples who swear by it. Just to clarify, I am not a TV person. I am not even that much of a Netflix kind of gal. What I am, however, is a huge fan of sex education.


MARCO VERCH CC BY 2.0
Guerriero’s decision to go vegan posed many challenges for in interest in the food industry.

Reconciling being vegan with my interest in food

About a year ago, I went vegan*. Consider the rest of this column the explication of that asterisk. At the time, I was working on a Barnstormers production that required baring it all (well, most of it, I guess) onstage. Aside from lifting weights six times a week, biking as often as possible and a few hours a day of choreography, I wanted to cut some calories in an effort to, um, tighten things up.




COURTESY OF SOPHIA LOLA
Lola’s friends played a large role in helping her get through a difficult semester in the fall.

Carving out time and space to reset after a rough last semester

I think we all know how ridiculously annoying it is for a song to be stuck in our heads for days upon days. There was one song last semester, however — one I hadn’t even heard in years — that implanted itself in my brain and refused to leave for a good long while at what was probably exactly the right time.


Staying true to myself in eight semesters abroad

Sometimes it’s as simple as wishing that a pair of shoes that are currently sitting in my closet in Singapore were with me in Baltimore, and sometimes it’s wishing my mom could drive to me in three hours when I’m having a crappy mental day instead of having to travel upwards of 20 hours in cars, planes and trains to get to me.


COURTESY OF KELVIN QIAN
Qian’s Chinese-American identity gives him a unique perspective on Chinese nationalism.

How my views on Chinese nationalism have evolved

Chinese nationalism has been making the news lately. We’ve all seen it in action, whether in the form of giant military parades in Beijing, the National Basketball Association’s expulsion from China over a single tweet or that big Chinese flag that was hung up in Brody.


COURTESY OF ADDY PERLMAN
A trip to her parents lake house reminded Perlman to keep true to herself.

Why I’ve decided to go with the flow this year

An alligator suns on a log. It’s winter, but we’re in South Georgia, so that means it’s 80 degrees, but perfect. My parents and I are lounging on Adirondacks on the deck my dad built to surround our quaint cabin on the lake. I’m reading Becoming, and my dog is playing with her tiny ball. Silence.



Learning to listen to my mind and my body

Lately I’ve had to give this explanation to a lot of people in my life, so I figured I might as well write it down. If you’ve spoken to me at all recently, you know that I’ve been caught up in a medical whirlwind for the past few months. 


Resurrecting an Italian Christmas culinary tradition

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 settle back into Baltimore, I wonder if I need to tone it down.



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