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.

Redefining success based on my own needs

By ZUBIA HASAN
March 3, 2019

We have all heard this story before. What we were in high school and what we imagined ourselves becoming in college. Our reality, unfortunately rarely matches up with our expectations. In high school, my work-load was never enough to fulfill me, so I ...

Pull Quote Template 30.png
Georges Biard/ cc by-sa 4.0 Spike Lee’s film BlaKkKlansman evokes an intense emotional reaction.

How Spike Lee’s films leave a lasting impact

By LAURA OING | February 27, 2019

So the Oscars were somewhat disappointing. Just three years after the #OscarsSoWhite boycott, just two years after the subsequent wave of pushing for more diverse voices in Hollywood began, the Academy has honored Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book with some of the supposedly highest honors Hollywood has to offer. Especially as the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements continue to call on Hollywood to hold sexual assaulters accountable, these wins are pretty upsetting for a number of reasons, though, unfortunately, not all that surprising. 

Taking action to fight burnout and establish a sustainable lifestyle

By SAMUEL FARRAR | February 20, 2019

I made a mistake last semester. Despite my terrible experience freshman year, I decided to take three writing-intensive classes again. Moreover, I began working with a new student organization, while doubling down on my commitment to another. Additionally, at my work-study job, a full-time employee was preparing to retire, so I accepted more hours in order to keep everything running smoothly in the office. 

COURTESY OF NICK YOUNGSON/CC BY-SA 3.0 The negative impacts of stress and burn out can be difficult to alleviate. 

A few tips on how to actively listen to your peers

By CECILIA VORFELD | February 26, 2019

As a member of A Place To Talk (APTT), a peer listening group on campus, I am very lucky to have learnt how to really listen to others in a way that can help someone tackle almost any problem. This doesn’t mean I can fix every situation that I hear about. On the contrary, APTT’s number one rule is that we do not give advice. 

Pull Quote Template 22.png
DSC_7069.jpg

Hookup culture: empowering, isolating or both?

By KATHERINE GILLIS | February 14, 2019

I am, as my mother would say, a “sensitive person who feels things deeply.” She’s not wrong. I have atopic dermatitis — a fancy medical term for “sensitive deep-feeler.” When I’m upset, a rash breaks out on my arms; when I’m stressed, I get bacne that looks like a topographical map of a piece of pizza. Even when I try hiding my feelings, my skin betrays me. 

Hookup culture: empowering, isolating or both?

By ADDY PERLMAN | February 14, 2019

It’s 9 a.m., and you’re trying to rush home before anyone sees you in oversized sweatpants and a T-shirt, carrying your clothes from last night. The infamous walk of shame. But why do we label it as shameful? Why do we consider sex shameful? 

DSC_7069.jpg
JIE QI/CC By 2.0 For several years, Farrar’s sexuality reminded him of Schrödinger’s cat.

Schrödinger’s sexuality: Waiting for that special someone

By SAMUEL FARRAR | February 18, 2019

In seventh grade, somewhere between the classes that neither students nor teachers cared about and the hormone and Axe-filled gym period, we had one hour set aside every week to visit the library. While I’m sure I would have preferred the patented middle school time-waster coolmathgames.com, the presence of our terrifying school librarian forced me to pretend to actually read. 

Saving yourself this Valentine’s Day

By GABI SWISTARA | February 14, 2019

In a world governed by social pressure to love and be loved, knowing how to be single is key to your health and that of your relationships. Knowing how to be single can be difficult, though, when surrounded by rom-coms, love songs and Disney-happy-endings.

11 Gabi.jpg
Pull Quote Template 16.png

How dating expectations change in college

By CLAIRE BEAVER | February 19, 2019

The act of dating is complicated, to put it lightly. To text or not to text. To Snapchat or not to Snapchat. To wait a certain amount of time before responding to the text so you seem like you’re not on your phone 24/7 and have a very cool life or to not. These decisions feel monumental in the moment, creating a pressure that other generations just don’t understand.

Learning to move on in real life, and online

By MORGAN OME | February 18, 2019

Each morning, a Facebook notification arrives at the same time with the same message: “On this day, you have memories with…” That’s usually accompanied by a list of seven people, five of whom I don’t talk to anymore. 

Pull Quote Template 12.png
I had a ‘make America gay again’ sign at the 2018 Women’s March.

I’ve identified as gay for years. Not anymore.

By JACOB TOOK | February 18, 2019

Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” is a bop — it topped charts in 25 countries and became one of the best-selling singles of all time. It’s also a monumental LGBTQ anthem in which Gaga embraces her bisexuality and affirms other LGBTQ identities, singing “I’m beautiful in my way / ‘Cause God makes no mistakes / I’m on the right track, baby I was born this way.”

Learning to survive the “situationship”

By SARINA REDZINSKI | February 14, 2019

People have lots of different words for it, all with slightly different implications. “Situationship,” “seeing each other” and “hanging out” are just a few. Ultimately though, they refer to the same vague thing: two people who like each other enough to act like a couple, but who, for some reason or other, won’t commit. Though there is some overlap in terminology, I’ve found these pseudo-relationships aren’t quite a part of “hookup culture,” really. Instead, they exist in a strange gray area somewhere between “friends with benefits” and an official relationship. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN Redzinski recounted her experiences in relationships without labels.
COURTESY OF ALLISON.HARE/CC-BY SA 2.0 Whether it’s Nutella or some other treat, indulge this Valentine’s Day.

Take pleasure in eating your heart out this Valentine's Day

By FRANK GUERRIERO | February 13, 2019

Something unsettling has spread about the culinary mediaverse in recent weeks. If you spend as much time as I do browsing the websites, Instagram accounts and — on particularly hungry evenings — LinkedIn pages of restaurants, you’ve probably noticed it. Also, get yourself some help — your homework, pets and sleep cycle need you.

COURTESY OF LORIE SHAULL/CC-BY SA 2.0 The organization Planned Parenthood provides women with health care.

Taking concrete action to support abortion rights

By KATHERINE LOGAN | February 13, 2019

For years now, I have proudly identified myself as an intersectional feminist. I’m minoring in Women, Gender and Sexuality (WGS) Studies and am currently working on an Honors Thesis project related to the history of fairy-tales and the implicit, gendered messages that they often contain.