Cultural Awareness Category
My First Jack-O’-Lantern
Feb. 11, 2019—Alex Jin, ‘21, Arts and Sciences It had been two and a half months since I first arrived on the Commons, and I was about to carve a pumpkin. It was my first time carving pumpkins – even though I’d lived in the American south my entire life – and I was so excited to...
Asian New Year Festival
May. 15, 2017—Crystal Kim, ’19 How has my week been? Let me give you a short recap. On Monday, I sat down with the lighting and sound technicians from Vanderbilt University Production Services to discuss some technicalities regarding Langford Auditorium. On Tuesday, I ran from rehearsal to rehearsal to give feedback and meet with respective choreographers. On...
Nach Vandy
May. 15, 2017—Mitesh Bhalani, ’19 School of Engineering For as long as I can remember, dance has been an important part of expressing my cultural identity. Through Bollywood dance classes, I learned about the music, traditions, and celebrations of Indian and South Asian culture, as well as meeting some of my best friends. When I came to...
Creating a Vanderbilt for Everyone
May. 15, 2017—Anoynomous The New York Times recently published a report on the economic diversity of US colleges, including Vanderbilt. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a snapshot: 70% of students are in the top 20% 23% of students are in the top 1%. 3.8% of students are in the top 0.1% 1.9% of students...
On Being an International Student
May. 15, 2017—Arjun Desai, ’19 College of Arts and Science Growing up in Mumbai, India, I have been provided with a background unlike what the majority of people have experienced growing up in the US. I grew up speaking 3 native languages as well as English and French, and playing cricket, which is the country’s most popular...
Beyond Brotherhood: Being in an NPHC Fraternity
May. 10, 2017—Gregory Rudd, ’18 Completing community service on early Saturday mornings; communicating with administration and faculty to program events; throwing parties and having to work the door the entire night; working with alumni to coordinate reunions; following the wishes of the Office of Greek Life even when they are less than agreeable. Being in a fraternity...
Multicultural Leadership Council
May. 10, 2017—Jacob Pierce, ’19 Student VUceptor, College of Arts and Science I don’t do many class readings, but one in particular has always stuck with me: “diversity loses its force, however, if in the same space, different persons or activities are merely concentrated, buch each remains isolated…Differences have to interact.” I never expected my view of...
Walking Fast and Slow. Learning to “Profiter”
May. 2, 2017—Elizabeth Winter, ’18 College of Arts and Science Student VUceptor It’s hard to escape a conversation in Aix-en-Provence, a small city in the south of France, without hearing the phrase “profiter de,” translating roughly to “make the most of” or “enjoy” two to three times. Whether it’s “profiter d’Aix” (enjoy Aix), or “profiter du soleil”...
EMBRACING INTERSECTIONALITY
Mar. 29, 2017—Kenya Wright, ’18, College of Arts and Science, VUcept Executive Board I am a Black Hispanic. That is who I am, who I’ve always been, and who I’ll always be. My culture is a mixture infused with Latino and Caribbean elements. Growing up, my home was filled with a tangle of accents and languages, an...
ACCEPTANCE
Mar. 29, 2017—Farishtay Yamin, ’17, School of Engineering I tolerate a fly buzzing around a room. I tolerate an electricity outage. Maybe I complain, but I’ve learned to become patient. The fly irritates me, but I have to deal with it. It’s a fact of life. My freshman year I prayed somewhere in the stacks of Peabody...