The Honors Herald The New York City Pforzheimer Honors College at Pace University Volume 8 Pace University 1 Pace Plaza W208/W209 New York, NY 10038 P: 212-346-1697
Issue 4
May 2019
A big difference amberlynn foote ‘21 It is so incredibly important to find what it is that you are passionate about in life and to pursue that passion. People always say that if you pursue what you love as a career, you will never work a day in your life. I’ve known for quite some time that I wanted to become a doctor, but I cannot express how lucky I am to know exactly what I want to do as a career at just nineteen years old. I was blessed with the opportunity to shadow my friend’s father who is a plastic surgeon back home in Florida for the last three years while home for the summers. Through this opportunity, I gained extensive hands-on experience that led me to the revelation that I wanted to pursue a career as a reconstructive plastic surgeon through Doctors Without Borders. During my last few weeks working in his office last summer, he encouraged me to apply for a medical mission trip that he had volunteered for several times in the past. At first I was fascinated by the idea, but I didn’t actually believe it would be possible considering the financial requirements and the fact that I didn’t even have a passport. However, before I knew it, my flight to
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A Letter From The Editor Herald Staff Nicki Kern Editor-In-Chief Niyati Gandhi Associate Editor Alex Romano Honors Council President Dr. Jaclyn Kopel Director Dr. Bill Offutt Faculty Advisor Dr. Anna Shostya Faculty Advisor MohiniGobin Staff Advisor Jessica Reed Program Coordinator Lindsey Lee Senior Thesis Advisor
Herald Contributors Amberlynn Foote Carolyn Phillips Sophie Landry Ranouk Agarwal Heather Hall Nicolette Carbonetto Alex Smith Xander Tielemans Andrew Knight Molly McElaney Katherine Obojkovits
Jaclyn Kopel Anna Shostya Lindsey Lee Jessica Reed Mohini Gobin Sydney Meehan Ezana Ceman Cyrielle Talla Takoum Nicki Kern Niyati Gandhi
The Honors Herald is a student run newsletter circulated to the students of the Pforzheimer Honors College at Pace University on the New York City Campus. The members of the Herald Staff review all articles. The opinions of the articles do not necessarily reflect those of the staff or the Pforzheimer Honors College. Pforzheimer Honors College 1 Pace Plaza W208/W209 New York, NY 10038 www.pace.edu/honors-college
Hello, Honors College! This is our final issue of the 2018-2019 year and I have to say, it’s my favorite. I think it really shows what the Honors College is like. Our peers do inspiring work, take on challenging internships, go on jealousy-inducing travel adventures, and get very riled up about a “deceased” Keurig machine and the Avengers franchise. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the Honors Council for the last three years and spend the last year as Editor-in-Chief. And I am delighted to announce that, because I am graduating, my co-chair, Niyati Gandhi, will be taking over as Editor-in-Chief. She is intelligent, creative, kind, and patient. I have every confidence that she will be a fantastic Editor. Good luck my friends. Nicki Kern Editor-in-Chief
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Guatemala was booked and I was overwhelmed with the generosity and support from my community in the form of donations to help make this dream of mine evolve into a reality. In the blink of an eye, four months had passed and I was at JFK airport waiting to board my flight to Guatemala City. As soon as I arrived at the gate, I instantly burst into tears because the fear and anxiety for the trip had finally hit me. After all, I was the youngest person on the mission and the only person who traveled there alone, as everyone else traveled collectively as a group from Eugene, Oregon, where the organization is based. When I arrived at the work site I was nervous, alone, and a complete stranger to everyone there. Many of the volunteers were on their fifteenth mission—some even more—and were surrounded by people they considered family, which made me feel even more isolated. However, by the next morning, I had already made so many connections and was completely in my comfort zone which, in my opinion, was a testament to just how incredible the people were. Without any time whatsoever to process what my role in the mission actually was, I was thrown into the operating room and holding a retractor for our first cleft palate surgery of the week. Obviously the conditions of the mission were rough and the surgeons were willing to take whatever resources and tools that they could get their hands on. Thus, some cases were so limited that they were completed without using a single blade. Eventually our operating room was in full swing and I was throwing sutures, suctioning the field, and retracting a patient’s intestines during a total hysterectomy! I honestly still cannot wrap my head around that one.
Contents A Big Difference The 2019 Special Olympics World Games Internship at L&CO The Wall. St. Careers Workshop Internship at Emigrant Savings Bank Tips for Applying to Graduate School Active Minds Conference Around the World with Jackie Study Abroad: Living My Best Life
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Honors Spring Break Trip Dr. Shostya’s Spring Break in Greece Food Review: Magic Mix Juicery Film Reviews: Avengers: Endgame Honors Summer Playlist Obituaries for the Honors Lounge Keurig 6 in 60 Overheard in Honors
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Many people believe that a cleft palate is simply an aesthetic defect of the lip. However, patients who are born with cleft palates actually have a gaping hole on the roof of their mouth, making it extremely difficult to talk, eat and breathe. The most impactful moment of my trip occurred when the mother of one of our cleft palate patients approached me and collapsed into my arms in tears. She explained to me that their blender, which she used to prepare all of her son’s meals, had broken two weeks prior to his operation, and without our generosity and services, he would have died within months from malnutrition. Living in such a modernized and privileged society, especially in New York City, it is so easy to lose perspective and take everything that we are so fortunate to have for granted. These people who have not a penny in their pockets and barely a rag on their backs traveled up to twelve hours to simply see a medical professional and were so happy, appreciative and grateful to be there! Meanwhile, I am stressed out and miserable ninety percent of the time because of school, when I should actually be profusely appreciative for the opportunity to earn an education in one of the greatest cities in the world. I am simply incapable of articulating how grateful I am for this experience and how much it changed my life. While we changed the lives of 1,981 patients and completed a total of 118 surgeries, these Guatemalan patients are the ones who truly changed my life and helped me regain the perspective that I so desperately needed. When it came time to depart from my new family and head home to New York, I couldn’t help but to burst into tears all over again. I had the honor to work alongside some of the most amazing people that I’ve ever met and I learned so much from some of the greatest surgeons in the United States. Multiple physicians on the trip invited me to work with them at their practices across the country over the summer, and I am so beyond excited to take them up on their invitations and to return to Guatemala next year to make the biggest difference once again.
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THE 2019 SPECIAL OLYMIPCS WORLD GAMES CAROLYN PHILLIPS ‘17 While I was standing on the field during the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi, UAE, I had a quick moment where I just couldn’t believe where I was. Four years before, I had volunteered at a Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. At that time, I was a student in the Honors College at Pace University, had just started interning at Special Olympics New York City’s office, and was so excited to see an international sporting event in person. Four years later, I was standing on the field watching seven athletes that I had spent the last two nights in rehearsal with run the torch around the stadium and open the Games. If you had told me four years ago that this would be my job, I wouldn’t have believed you. The 2019 Special Olympics World Games took place in March in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Like the Olympics and Paralympics, the World Games happen every two years and alternate between winter and summer. Unlike the Olympics or Paralympics though, Special Olympics hosts many competitions around the world every day. There are some other notable differences between the Olympics, Paralympics, and Special Olympics. For example, no one has to pay to participate in Special Olympics; only athletes with intellectual disabilities may compete; and most importantly, athletes are divisioned by age, gender, and ability to create fair competitions.
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Special Olympics is divided into seven regions, and I work in the international office that oversees those regions. I have worked in the Communications department at the Washington, DC, headquarters office since February 2018. Besides working these Games, I also worked the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle, Washington; the 50th Anniversary Celebration in Chicago, Illinois; and the Global Athlete Congress in the Dominican Republic. Before being hired, I also volunteered at the previous two World Games. Even though those were all amazing, these past Games in Abu Dhabi went above and beyond. These World Games were full of firsts. This was the first time World Games were hosted by the Middle East/North Africa region. The United Arab Emirates were such welcoming hosts and pulled out all the stops to make sure the athletes, volunteers, fans, staff, and families felt comfortable. It even committed to making all public schools in the UAE into Unified Champion Schools offering the highest level of inclusion to its students with and without disabilities. This was also the first time Saudi Arabia allowed its female athletes to compete in a Special Olympics World Games. I watched its women’s basketball team play and win gold, and it was absolutely incredible! This was the first time they were allowed to compete, and they brought gold back to their country as proof of what they could do!
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The Games ran from March 14 to 21, and over 190 countries competed in 24 Olympicstyle sports through Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Even though it was sometimes stressful, I felt very grateful to be there, and I had a wonderful time. Befriending Special Olympics athletes was definitely my favorite part because they are so genuine. I love meeting new people with and without disabilities from around the world because it reminds me that the world is full of good people. If you are interested in volunteering for the Special Olympics, you don’t need to start at a World Games. Special Olympics New York City is always looking for volunteers, and you’ll have an awesome time! Special Olympics is in over 190 countries and all 50 states. Email me at cphillips@specialolympics.org or go online to www.specialolympics.org if you have any questions!
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INTERNSHIP AT L&CO SOPHIE LANDRY ‘21 This semester, I interned at Leitzes & Co. I’m a marketing intern, but to say that L&CO is simply a marketing firm would be a gross understatement and a bit of an insult, if I’m being honest. The company, founded by Cary Leitzes over ten years ago, is a hybrid of all things entrepreneurial, innovative, and evocative of New York. With only three employees and a crop of two to three new interns every season, the team works extremely hard to achieve its goals with the limited resources in its reach. A small but mighty team is at work every day of the week at the Leitzes & Co office, which is nestled in the heart of Soho, and decorated with eclectic art. Inside, you’ll find Cary, Katie, and Olivia, sometimes sitting at their desks, sometimes sitting around a conference table, and oftentimes in the kitchen. The team lives, breathes, and eats work. One of the biggest insights into the reality of the working world that I’ve garnered from my time at L&CO is that building your own business from the ground up is an enormous task, and it requires every drop of dedication you can manage to give it. The team works hard. So, what exactly do they work hard at? L&CO’s main focus is on connection. Cary is a veteran of the fashion and beauty industry, with an endless list of names in her contact arsenal and a penchant for graceful yet productive conversation. She’s constantly chatting with some of the most powerful people in the city, waltzing in from meetings, and sending me pictures of store openings and pop-ups to add to my list of pending trend report ideas. It’s no surprise that she founded her own company. Somehow she has the ability to make you feel right at home, even if you’re standing in an office buzzing with stress and ringing phones, and even if you’ve only known her for five minutes. L&CO’s mission is to catalyze communication and innovation between brands, namely in the beauty and fashion industry. The easiest word to explain it is “collaborations”, or “collabs,” as we call them at the office. Leitzes & Co is behind innumerable collaborations between brands big and small. That Moschino x Sephora collab that hit the shelves a few years ago? That was L&CO. Missoni at Target? Also L&CO. Charlotte Russe’s makeup line? You guessed it, L&CO. Cary has the connections, which are the real root of the business, but she isn’t the only hardworking female behind these amazing collabs. Katie Sharrar, head of Operations and Management, and Olivia Combemale, head of Business Development, are also at the helm, and the three truly operate as a team.
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There’s a beautiful solidarity about L&CO—nothing rests on the shoulders of just one person, and everything is actually a group effort, which is an important lesson in creative success, in my opinion. The team at L&CO is extremely diverse in their skill sets, but all share a fiery inventiveness and an intense drive to work, sometimes until 9 or 10 pm. Olivia is a cascade of ideas; she always knows the latest news on trending companies, business models, fashion, tech, you name it. She could tell you your train is going to be late before you even get to the station. Katie is constantly juggling calls with clients, research into new projects, and the general business side of things. On top of all that, she manages the interns. Yes, she’s my boss. Technically everybody is my boss, but Katie’s the L&CO team member that hired me, and the one that keeps me on track with a punch list delivered promptly to my inbox every morning and a quick brief on the day’s tasks, which could range from doing a bit of research on a new skincare company to visiting WeWork’s new uptown space. Interning at Leitzes & Co has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my college career to date. Here’s why. I actually do work. Yes, there are coffee runs to be made and packages to be delivered, but those things tend to be a much needed break from a day that is otherwise genuinely hard work. At L&CO, I do everything from research on budding companies to write ups on celebrity sneaker collabs. The interns’ main job is to contribute to the Leitzes & Co IN Report, a comprehensive summary of the most intriguing and successful collabs of the year. Released bi-annually, the IN Report features anywhere from 30-50 collaborations, detailed with pictures and small write ups, around a paragraph in length, that highlight the Who, What, Where of everything from MAC’s Disney collab to the freshest Off-White x Converse partnerships. These reports serve as a springboard for L&CO’s clients, if and when they’re looking to do a collaboration. Clients can browse through the collaborations other companies have done to jumpstart their own ideas. I write around five of these write ups a week, and by the end of my time at L&CO, my fellow intern and I will have created an entire IN Report for the business. I am happy to be able to contribute some creativity and real thought to the company, and I’m grateful for it, too. The work that I do actually makes it to the hands of real clients, which is more meaningful than you’d think. Maybe I’m just a jaded intern, but lots of internships out there are just about as mind numbing as writing one hundred lines on a chalkboard, and lots of the work I’ve done previously has been marginally unimportant. At Leitzes and Co, I’m able to write about real things that are happening in fashion, beauty, art, and beyond. I’ve done research that has made it to the Target conference room. I get to explore new companies, learn about new industries, and stay up to date on what’s trending in and outside of New York City.
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The work at L&CO varies day to day. On Wednesday I could be compiling product prices into an Excel sheet, and Friday I could be conducting an interview. I never know what to expect when I walk into the office at 10 am, coffee in hand, but that’s what I love the most about it there. It’s real. It’s run by some of the most down to earth people I’ve ever met, who work harder than you could even begin to imagine, day in and day out, to achieve their goals. Interning at L&CO has taught me how to work with a team, how to get things done, and has given me a much better understanding of what the working world is really like. I’ve learned how to interact with clients, how to create expertly organized research, and how to navigate the modern climate of fashion and beauty trends. I have an enormous amount of respect for the team at L&CO, and I’ve learned a ton, but the one lesson that stands out is how far hard work will take you. Anything’s possible if you put the work in.
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THE WALL ST. CAREERS WORKSHOP NIYATI GANDHI ‘21 This past semester, I was one of fifteen students selected to attend the Wall Street Careers Workshop. The workshop is hosted by Pace Career Services for Finance, Management, Economics, and Business Analytics majors. The purpose is to prepare the students for internships or jobs on Wall Street. It provides a great overview of various finance roles on Wall Street through guest speaker events. Professionals from different areas of finance, such as investment banking, corporate banking, and sales and trading, came to speak about their career paths and experience. One of my favorite speakers was a venture capitalist who presented us with an example of a pitch, placing us in his shoes. It was interesting to hear his perspective and learn about venture capitalism as a potential career path. The workshop also provided assistance with our resumes and LinkedIn profiles, which we updated and tailored towards Wall Street careers. Moreover, we started every session with a discussion about the markets and current events. Daunting at first, we quickly got used to discussing the yield curve and IPOs with relative ease. As a Finance major, I enjoyed the workshop because it provided invaluable information about the opportunities within finance. I also appreciated the connections I made with guest speakers and my fellow students. I would recommend this workshop to anyone interested in learning more about careers in finance or on Wall Street.
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INTERNSHIP AT EMIGRANTS SAVINGS BANK ROUNAK AGARWAL ‘20 I am glad that I am given a chance to share my professional experience with the Honors College. I would like to begin with a short introduction of the bank. Emigrant Savings Bank is one of the five largest privately owned banks in the United States. It specializes in mortgages, personal finance, consulting services, commercial lending, and a few other related areas. I started working here in September 2018 and my role here is of a Mortgage Analyst. I came across this opportunity through our Pace Careers website, Handshake, and got selected as per the traditional interview process. During my first week, I was provided training for the job by my two supervisors and was made familiar with what would be expected of me. It was a great experience as I entered a completely new field and I was fortunate as this job relates to what I want to do in my future career. After the first week, I made friends at my job and also started going out to lunches with them. It is a great place to work for, as the people at the bank are always friendly and helpful and also the job provides great exposure, especially at an intern level. My daily duties at the bank included gathering and analysing the client’s financial documents in order to access their financial standing, creating mortgage write-ups through DSCR ratios to come up with an interest rate which could be offered to our clients, proactively and professionally communicating with mortgage brokers, accountants, borrowers, attorneys, and clients to smoothen the loan closing process, dealing and creating advanced Excel spreadsheets with data anywhere from $100K - $6 million, managing the bank’s online special database known as the Loan Origination Database, etc. Apart from these duties, I also managed client meetings and met with them in person to explain the loan requirements and financing needs. Moreover, this month, I took on a special project at Emigrants Bank where I worked with the bank’s IT team to create an electronic mortgage application so that the brokers and the borrowers could fill out the application manually on their devices without the need to print paper copies. So these have been my duties at the bank so far and I have gained immense knowledge in the mortgage lending area and have also developed skills that I did not have before.
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I enjoy working at the bank because of its environment, daily opportunities to do something new, the people and the understanding that each one of us has. Both of my supervisors have been supportive since the start and have been great bosses. I believe that for anyone who wants to enter the financial services industry in the long run, this is kind of an opportunity which can provide a great start to his/her career. By working here, a person can gain knowledge outside of the textbooks and also experience what an actual workplace looks like. I would be happy to talk to anyone about my role and the bank and would be happy to provide any additional details if needed. I again thank the Honors family for giving me a chance to talk about my professional experience and for allowing me to express my thoughts here.
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TIPS FOR APPLYING TO GRAD SCHOOL NICKI KERN ‘19 At least the last year and half of my life has been spent preparing graduate school applications and then making decisions about program offers (and now preparing for the move). I am by no means an expert, but I thought that since I have spent so much time doing this and understand how daunting and stressful it can be, I would share a few tips about graduate applications for my Honors peers who might be thinking about graduate school. Just before I give my tips I want to say that I applied to English programs. It is very, very important to note that the standards and necessities for applying to humanities programs or social science programs or business programs (etc., etc.) will be very different. Some of my tips might end up being relevant to your applications depending on the discipline. Here we go! 1. Get yourself someone (or multiple someones preferably) that understands academia and your desired discipline who can guide you through the process. My brother-in-law had just defended his dissertation in psychology when I began my first real preparation for applications. He was also involved with the American Psychological Association during his graduate career. So, he had a lot of insight into academia and the application process, but he was in the social sciences. So, I also got a lot of advice from professors I had developed good relationships with in the English department (my field) and the Philosophy department. 2. Gather a lot of advice and practice assessing what advice is really applicable to you and what is not. This is different from the first point because you want someone who can regularly advise you, but you also just want to collect a lot of opinions, especially at the beginning, so you can decide what route you want to take. For example, I decided not to take a gap year between undergrad and grad school because the reasons I heard to take a gap year didn’t apply to me. 3. You’re not applying to the institution, you’re applying to your discipline’s program—more specifically you’re applying to professors that you want to work with. So sure, research the school, but most of your research should focus on the program and the faculty.
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4. Don’t wait until the last minute to do your research. It is very time consuming to put together applications, so you want to maximize the time you have to perfect them. 5. Don’t put off studying for the GRE. You should be preparing for it for at least a few months before you take it, but really study as long as possible. The GRE is a very annoying test to prepare for and take; it’s also a frustratingly difficult test. I think it’s a horrible way to measure anyone’s readiness for graduate study, but it is a necessary part of applications, so don’t slack off. 6. Recommendation Letters! Know who you want to ask to write your letters of recommendation, and ask them well in advance. You want to pick professors who you have good relationships with, who know your work, and who will take the time to write a good letter. Provide your recommenders with material (resume and/or just a list of all the things you’ve done that will help them sing your praises). Communicate when your deadlines are, and send them respectful and regular reminders to make sure they get it done on time. 7. Statement of Purpose! Start drafting as soon as possible, know what each program you’re applying to wants to see, and have your draft reviewed and edited by multiple people. Programs tend to have similar general requirements for these, but they will also each have their own specific requirements. That might be word count or specific questions they want you to address. I had a general draft reviewed by many professors first. Then I added the specific elements of one program and had that reviewed. And then I felt I knew what I was doing and I was able to produce the rest of the program specific drafts on my own. Even still, I did several drafts on my own. You really need to make sure all the information is clear, you’ve satisfied all their requirements, and your statement is free of mistakes. Also: when you tell them what you intend to study and intend to do with your advanced degree, you don’t necessarily have to stick to that when you get in the program. Programs will address this, but what they really want to know is that you understand the discipline and you know how to make a clear and specific plan of study. 8. Writing Sample! Your writing sample should reflect the work you are telling them in your statement you intend to do, and should also go through numerous drafts and edits from outside readers. A lot of the same advice for your personal statement applies to your writing sample.
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9. After you submit your applications, DO NOT LOOK AT THE MATERIAL YOU SUBMITTED. You are bound to see something that you wish you could change, and there is no sense in tormenting yourself. 10. Paying for graduate school is absolutely insane and I don’t think anyone should go to graduate school unless they have funding or have a solid reason for why they’re entering into a program without funding. Now, for the program I am attending, I was not offered funding with my acceptance offer. BUT my new school does have many opportunities for funding which I am accessing now. I will still have to pay some tuition, but it’s not full tuition, and I’ll be paying state school tuition which is way, way, way cheaper than private university tuition. This is also just the best career move for me right now. So I picked a great program with great other funding opportunities and state school tuition instead of other lesser options I considered. Picking a program is a very personal decision. Everyone will have an opinion about what you should do. Try to stay calm, weed out advice as you see necessary, and make the decision that is best for you. It’s your life, it’s your career, you’re the one that has to do the work. My final point: You have to be confident that you want to go through the application process and the program. Graduate school is HARD. Applying to graduate school is HARD. If you’re thinking about it because you don’t know what job you want or you want to avoid the job market… those are not good reasons. Graduate school is work, you have to be willing to do the work, otherwise you won’t produce competitive applications and you won’t thrive or be successful in your program. I’m not saying that you have to be absolutely 100% sure that graduate school is what you want (you can always decline offers, or leave a program before you complete the degree and there is no shame in either) but your main motivation can’t be avoiding something else or not knowing what else to do. You have to have some desire for it even if you ultimately decide it’s not for you. Again, I am not an expert. You can take or ignore my advice as you see fit. I hope something in here was helpful. Just do your best, kids, and remember to stay calm.
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ACTIVE MINDS CONFERENCE CYRIELLE TALLA ‘21 On March 22 and 23rd in Washington D.C., the E-board of Active Minds at Pace University attended the Active Minds National Conference. This was a weekend filled with breakout sessions varying from the use of the social media movement in spreading a message to the use of data to improve the mental health programing in universities. The two-day conference began with an opening speech from the Active Minds founder and executive director, Alison Malmon, as well as the President of Georgetown University. The first breakout session included sessions such as Collegiate Recovery and Implications for Mental Health and Postvention: Helping a Community Heal after a Suicide. Each session was presented by professionals and/or people working in organizations related to mental health. The keynote speaker on the second day was Bemtin Nemtin. Nemtin is a New York Times bestselling author of What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?, a book focused on a group of friends accomplishing a bucket list of goals as well as how the reader can do the same. His keynote was all about encouraging people to turn their dreams into projects and get them accomplished. On the second day, there was the creative programming expo, where many Active Minds chapters around the country set up tables that represented their chapter. The theme of our poster board was Starting a Movement, since the Active Minds chapter at Pace University, the executive board and I talked about how we had made the most of our resources in building our audience at Pace. We were also able to use this time for networking with different chapters as well as other organizations that were tabling. The featured and final keynote was a Q&A session with the Active Minds Hero Award Recipient Cynthia Germanotta, the President of the Born This Way Foundation. This is an organization that was founded by Cynthia Germanotta and her daughter Lady Gaga. This was an amazing session, listening to what inspired both her and her daughter to create this amazing organization that has been helping further research and advocacy for mental health. At the end of this weekend, my E-board and I were excited to return to New York City and incorporate all that we had learned from other Active Minds chapters, from the breakout sessions and from the keynote speakers into our programming in the future.
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Around The World with Jackie Jaclyn Kopel ‘10
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LIVING MY BEST LIFE HEATHER HALL ’19
For my last semester at Pace University, I decided to study abroad in Madrid, Spain. The reason I chose this location was because of the warmer weather and the fact that I am learning Spanish. Although I knew little about what to expect, this experience has exceeded my expectations. Not only do I get to live in the center of Spain, I get to meet new people from around the world. In Madrid, I live in an eight-bedroom apartment with other students and young professionals. They became some of my closest friends here and they are from France, Australia, England, Holland, and Belgium. Diversifying my friends and growing network has been the most rewarding part. A goal of mine during this time was to travel around Europe. Living here for a prolonged period of time allowed me to cheaply travel around Europe with new friends. My top three trips so far were to Morocco, France, and Hungary. In Morocco, I went with thirteen friends from school on a three-day desert tour. We had the chance to ride camels into the middle of the Sahara Desert and sleep there overnight, travel through rural Morocco, and experience the chaos of the markets in Marrakech. In France, I went to the French Alps to snowboard and I have never seen anything more beautiful. In Hungary, I was primarily in Budapest which is famous for its thermal baths, which were very relaxing after the full day of traveling before. Other places I traveled to include London, Belgium, Amsterdam, Paris, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, and other parts of Spain. It might sound very clichĂŠ, but this experience has changed my perspective about my priorities in life and of people that are different from me. I am looking forward to working for a few years in New York and then returning to Europe to complete a Masters Degree and maybe live abroad for a year or two more. My only regret is that I cannot stay longer and I highly recommend people to live outside the country at one point in their lives.
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RHODE ISLAND SPRING BREAK TRIP WITH THE HONORS COLLEGE NICOLETTE CARBONETTO ‘20 We loaded up at 9am and headed four hours north to a founding city of this country. Here are some highlights of our trip. 1.) The John Brown House: Dating back to the Famous John Brown, his house was only owned by three owners throughout its history. Much of it was preserved or is historically accurate to the time. You are able to see all three stories and the horse drawn carriage in the garage. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and we had a great tour! 2.) The Capitol Building: This is where all of the politics of Rhode Island resides because it is the capital. It has gorgeous architecture and the grand foyer is breathtaking. They even have a cannonball that is stuck in a cannon from an opposing shot! You get to see where all the politics takes place and how. Supporting local college students, the tour guides are from a local college’s history department. 3.) The great escape room: We split up into two teams in Sherlock’s library where we split into puzzles and had to work to get out. The staff was incredible and they have a bunch of different puzzles to solve. We beat the establishment’s record for teams of 10+ getting it in less than half the time! 4.) Craftland: It is basically a giant Etsy Store! All of the products are made from local craftsman and their stuff is unbelievably cute, we kissed our money goodbye! 5.) RISD: The Rhode Island School of Design had so much interesting student art and was a very cool experience to have after our stop at Kneed Doughnuts. 6.) Roger Williams Zoo: With all types of animals and a lot of different exhibits, there was something for everyone. They had elephants, which is my favorite animal on the planet so my day was made.
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CONNECTING TO THE PAST: HOW I SPENT MY SPRING BREAK DR. ANNA SHOSTYA The lean, naked body has soared up in the air. The leap switched the sky with the earth and the athlete has hung upside down for a split second, just enough to let the raging bull slide under him. It seemed so easy – no drop of sweat marred his dark sunkissed skin. The temptation was unbearable – I leaned forward to feel the smooth curve of his muscle…“Please do not touch,” the museum staff’s voice, with a distinct Greek accent, stopped my hand before it reached the glass protecting the 3,400-year old fresco.
____________________ I grew up learning about Greek mythology, reading about Mycenaean civilization, and painting ancient Greek patterns on terracotta mugs. So, for me, going to Greece for the first time during spring break was not just about beautiful sunsets (Chania’s was especially gorgeous), sun-bathing at a beach (half-deserted Ayios Nikolaos’ waterside was particularly picturesque and relaxing), or delectable food (shrimp saganaki, boiled octopus, and vegetarian moussaka have delighted my taste buds and upset my weight scales). It was about the contest between Athena and Poseidon coming alive and understanding why Athena’s gift, the olive tree, was more important than Poseidon’s salty water. It was about sitting on the steps of the 6th century B.C. theater of Dionysus and imagining that I was one of the 15,000 spectators watching the original performance of Euripides’ Medea. It was about touching the 4,000-year old stones of the magnificent Knossos palace and reflecting on the sophistication of Minoan civilization and the complexity of their economy. It was also about the Acropolis experience.
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TRAVEL
The Honors Herald
If someone tells me that he or she saw the Acropolis, I will raise one brow in disbelief. One cannot see Acropolis. Nor can one visit the Acropolis. One can only experience the Acropolis. The experience is an hour-long climb through ancient ruins and a slow physical and spiritual submergence into the womb of Western civilization. Described by the 19th-century French poet Alphonse de Lamartine as “the most perfect poem in stone,” the Acropolis is a stunning testament to the Golden Age of Greece, the mastery of ancient craftsmen and architects, and the spirit of the heroes and gods who shaped European history. Its semipartial survival is also a reminder of what political turbulence – wars, invasions, and shifts in power – can do to something that we believe is the prime source of civilization. And to me, a professional economist, it is also a symbol of a highly centralized, government-run economy that was able to design, sponsor, and execute a monumental architectural project, the scale of which can only be compared to those of the Great Wall of China and the Egyptian pyramids. Projects like these require a strong hand of the government and a highly hierarchal command structure of the society. If Adam Smith were born in the 5th century B.C., when the Parthenon was built, his Wealth of Nations would be about the treasury of the Delian League instead of the invisible hand and laissez-faire policy so elegantly presented in his 1776 treatise. Greece was not a free market economy in those times.
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TRAVEL
The Honors Herald
Contemporary Greece would not exactly be Smith’s ideal economy either. The cradle of modern democracy became synonymous with the phrase “economic crisis” after 2010, when its public debt reached more than 350 billion euros. The dire financial and fiscal situation required immediate support. The European Union, International Monetary Fund, and European Central Bank, collectively, brought in about 130 billion euros, on the condition that Greece would decrease its debt-to-GDP ratio from 160% to 120%. The Greek government was forced to implement stringent austerity measures to reduce government spending. Government employees’ salaries and benefits were cut. Taxes were raised. The payments of wages of hundreds of thousands of workers in the private sector were delayed. Today, almost 10 years after the crisis, the economy is still struggling. To my surprise, most of the panel presentations and discussions at the International Atlantic Economic Conference that I attended in Athens were not focusing on Brexit. Instead, the common theme was Greece’s slow recovery and its dependence on the European Union loans and conditional help. Not every economy enjoys a self-correcting mechanism, praised by Adam Smith, especially if this economy has had problems with productivity and overspending for decades. Yet, I am hopeful. Greece has always been known for its entrepreneurial spirit, agricultural diversity, and warm hospitality. Agribusiness and tourism will contribute to the GDP growth and the warm-hearted Greeks will continue to showcase the wonders of their land and the richness of their history. And the leaping athlete in the Minoan fresco, as if frozen in time, will keep connecting us with the past and be a gentle reminder of where we, the humans, came from.
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CULTURE
The Honors Herald
GOOD EATS FROM AROUND THE WAY: MAGIC MIX JUICERY ANDREW KNIGHT ‘21 Eating Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, and Shake Shack on a weekly basis sounds like a dream come true for an average college student. However, sometimes it is important to do your body a favor and eat something healthy. Hidden among all the fast food chains on Fulton Street is the Magic Mix Juicery. Conveniently enough, it is an option for flex dollars, and has many deals with the Honors College. Although Magic Mix Juicery is not focused around conventional meals, there is still a wide array of choices for food and drink. The focus is to encourage a healthy lifestyle through the things you consume. There are a large number of pressed juices ready to grab, and others that can be made on request. A majority of the menu goes to many different smoothies and acai bowls with all kinds of various fruits and toppings. For those who are looking to get more of a meal there are still options like salad, wraps, and soup to satisfy your hunger. Personally, I have never been too knowledgeable about the effects of juice cleanses or health and wellness shots. However, one thing I know now is that Magic Mix Juicery has plenty of options for people who are passionate about healthy habits, and even simplify their products for those who are not. I am by no means a health nut, and I was not intimidated by the menu or anything they served. Additionally, there is something for everyone regardless of how much you care about what you eat because at the end of the day, who could deny a perfectly good fruit smoothie?
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CULTURE
The Honors Herald
AVENGERS: ENDGAME REVIEW KATHERINE OBOJKOVITS ‘22 After 11 years, the Infinity Saga has come to an end and my, what a finish. Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of 21 films that have changed Hollywood’s idea of storytelling. It’s a good thing that Marvel changed the film’s title from Infinity War: Part 2 because it’s not; even though the film deals with the events that occurred at the end of Infinity War, this film is much more emotionally charged and focuses more on the six original members of the Avengers. Having all survived the Snap, each original member has to deal with the loss of most of their team and half of all living things. Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, gives an outstanding performance as a man who didn’t “go for the head” and is struggling to cope with his mistake. With a runtime of 3 hours and 2 minutes, the film successfully addresses each character and their determination to restore all life forms, while trying to deal with the loss of loved ones. Paul Rudd’s absence in Infinity War only made his role as Ant-Man in Endgame so much more fulfilling and rewarding. This film was not just 182 minutes of anxiety and uneasiness; while I was sitting on the edge of my seat with my hands over my face with just enough space between my fingers to let me see the screen, there were many scenes where I couldn’t control my laugher and where I couldn’t help but clap and yell out my delight with the rest of the crowd. Since there have been 21 movies leading up to this one, there are many homages to past plot points and interactions between the characters. These films have defined my teenage years and I can honestly say that Avengers: Endgame is the cherry on top of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Every journey does have an end, but this film will be remembered for years to come and I am glad to have been a part of something so special.
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CULTURE
The Honors Herald
AVENGERS: ENDGAME REVIEW MOLLY MCELANEY ‘21 Whether you’re a fan or a hater, you have to admit that the Marvel Universe has impacted pop culture as we know it. Since 2008, superhero fans have been blown away by the special effects, plot twists, and world building that have majorly been overseen by creator Stan Lee (rest in peace). However, it’s the characters that we know and love that have kept fans drawn to the series for so long. We care about these characters and we want to watch what happens to them. Without spoiling too much, I will say that Avengers: Endgame (Russo Brothers, 2019) was a satisfying ending to certain character arcs and it left me excited to see the new movies coming out. For those of you living under a rock, this movie takes place after Avengers: Infinity War (Russo Brothers, 2018). Thanos (Josh Brolin) has successfully wiped out half of all life on Earth. Five years later, we get to see who was left behind: the original six avengers (Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye) as well as some neglected new heroes in the franchise (Don Cheadle as War Machine, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and Karen Gillian as Nebula). The way this team fights with time travel and selfsacrificing is both breathtaking and heartbreaking to watch on screen. For those of us who have seen all 22 movies (or 21 if you refuse to acknowledge Edward Norton as the Hulk for respectful reasons), this is a beautiful and bittersweet script written for the fans. There are many people who saw this movie who were unhappy about certain character deaths or believed that certain characters were acting out of character. While I can’t specifically tell you why you’re wrong without spoiling it, I will say this: everything that happened in this movie has over a decade of thought and work put into it. Everything that happened in this movie added to the characters we love and nothing else would make sense for their story. Yeah, you can fight me about certain details but in my opinion, this movie is so bittersweet and I have never left a theater so completely satisfied with an ending to a series. After all, the last Avengers movie I saw included so much death and no closure for almost a year.
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HONORS
The Honors Herald
HONORS SUMMER PLAYLIST COMPILED BY NICKI KERN ‘19 Here's a playlist for the summer based on your submissions: My Strange Addiction by Billie Eilish All-Star by Smash Mouth Break My Face by AJR Modern Love by David Bowie Almost by Hozier Electric Love by Børns *If you have other songs in mind or would like to share your playlist, submit it to our next issue!
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HONORS
The Honors Herald
IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE HONORS LOUNGE KEURIG 2016-2019 To our Keurig, We are all at a loss for words. The appreciation of the support that was provided by your tireless efforts can never be put into words. You have played such a significant role in the maintenance of my GPA and bank account as well as many of my peers, something that you cannot put a price on, even though you were originally around $90… probably, I don’t actually know. Regardless, you will be missed by many. Thank you, Keurig, for being there for me when I needed you. Xander Tielemans ‘20 Our community lost a pillar this semester when the Keurig in the Honors Lounge, favorably known as “the free alternative to Starbucks,” passed away from technical causes. His contributions were extensive, and included caffeinating exhausted students before their morning classes, providing us with soft relaxing background noise, and watching over us quietly and protectively. Keurig was a health advocate, and taught those who used him the importance of exercise, prompting them to walk upwards of 20 feet when his water was low. He also instilled the importance of stress management into his users; I once witnessed a person try and brew 12 oz of coffee, before realizing the cups provided could only hold 10 max. I saw the panic in his eyes, but he soon realized he had two options: panic, or simply find a solution to his problem. He chose the latter, and thanks to Keurig he learned how to calmly deal with a panic-inducing situation. Keurig is survived by his three daughters: Hazelnut, French Vanilla, and Breakfast Blend. They will carry on his legacy, stating: “Those kids need us, we see the tired, pleading desperation in their eyes.” They, along with the rest of the community, will dearly miss all he did for us. Alex Smith ‘22
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Questions in
The Honors Herald
Seconds
with the Honors Staff
We asked the Honors Staff the same 6 questions, and here are their responses. What is your dream summer vacation?
What is your favorite popsicle flavor?
Dr. Shostya: Alaska. Jackie: Traveling through Spain for 2-3 weeks. Lindsey: A week on the beach with my best friends. Jess: Traveling to different beaches around the world. Mohini: Somewhere in Southeast Asia like Bali. Sydney: Any vacation, honestly. Ezana: My dream summer vacation would be going on a road trip throughout Asia with friends. Cyrielle: Trip to South America, literally anywhere in South America.
Dr. Shostya: Sorry, I do not eat popsicles. Jackie: Strawberry. Lindsey: The strawberry ones with whole strawberries in them. Jess: Mango or grapefruit. Mohini: Cherry. Sydney: Cherry. Ezana: Cherry. Cyrielle: Grape.
What advice do you have for students over the summer? Dr. Shostya: Read a book. Jackie: Catch up on sleep, read for fun, travel, and have fun. Lindsey: Do NOT mess up your sleep schedule. Or at least if you do, spend the last two weeks before you return fixing it again. Jess: Enjoy your summer break! Classes will being again shortly so use this time for self-care however you define that! Mohini: Spend some time to focus on your well being, have fun and catch up on sleep Sydney: Do what you can’t do during the semester, but always give yourself a buffer after the spring and before the fall to get into the zone. Ezana: I recommend that all students check DegreeWorks and make a college plan with what courses they have remaining to take. I made a Google Sheets spreadsheet with all of this info freshman year and it is the best thing I have ever done because it has kept me organized and on top of everything. Cyrielle: Get some rest. Get a lot of sleep.
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Questions in
The Honors Herald
Seconds
with the Honors Staff
Would you rather backpack through Europe or take a road trip through the U.S.? Dr. Shostya: A road trip through Europe. Jackie: Backpack through Europe. Lindsey: I would like to leisurely vacation through both. Jess: Both are of interest, but if I had to choose an order, travelling internationally would always come first. Mohini: This is a tough one. I guess backpack through Europe would be my first choice but I’d want to road trip through the U.S. too at some point. Sydney: Probably Europe, but I’d kill to do both. Ezana: I would take a road trip through the U.S. since I went on a road-trip through Europe and have only been on the east coast of the U.S. Cyrielle: Backpack through Europe.
What is your favorite part about If you owned an ice cream truck New York City in the summer? what would you name it? Dr. Shostya: There is no snow to shovel. Jackie: Being able to walk around at night because the weather is so nice. Lindsey: Free movies in the parks. And the beach. Jess: The beach. As someone who is an extreme beach person, indulging in NYC’s little known beaches (unknown to tourists) is a favorite summer pastime. In addition to all outdoor activities and enjoying the sun at all times. Mohini: Food festivals. Sydney: Buildings with air conditioning. Ezana: My favorite part about NYC is being able to meet people from all around the world since tourism is at its highest point. Cyrielle: All of the free events and concerts.
Dr. Shostya: Turtles Cones Jackie: I hate ice cream so I wouldn’t have a truck. I would have a mac n cheese truck instead called Mackie Jackie’s Mac n Cheese. Lindsey: I would never in a million years own an ice cream truck. That sounds like torture. Jess: This one left me stumped, I’m not sure. Mohini: I honestly don’t know. Sydney: I Scream, You Scream? Ezana: I would name it EZ-FREEZE-E. Cyrielle: Cyrielle’s Ice Cream.
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HONORS
The Honors Herald
Unless they are Mick Jagger and have babies at 176‌
That would be a lethal roomba
I would eat the Liberty Bell
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HONORS
The Honors Herald
I could party in Zara
I hugged Julia and broke her in half
During an apocalypse I would live in a mall