The Suite Life of
Hundreds of undergraduates populate NYU residence By YASMIN GULEC Under the Arch Editor
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Photos By KATIE PEURRUNG Under the Arch Multimedia Editor
lena Victoria Chirinos jumps up and down in her sparkly silver skirt as NYU students trickle into her sixth-floor Third Avenue North Residence Hall apartment to celebrate her 10th birthday. The party is unicorn-themed — mainly because of a rainbow-layered unicorn cake and multi-colored piping details baked by Kathy Lin, a resident assistant in Third North and Elena’s occasional babysitter. “We just decided to do it on unicorns because there was a unicorn cake and if there is a unicorn cake and you have like a Harry Potter themed birthday party it is kind of weird,” Elena said about planning her first-decade celebration.
Elena (left) hugs her birthday balloons with Lin (right), Elena’s occasional babysitter.
The first time I met Elena, she wore an NYU Quidditch T-shirt — as a former Quidditch team member, I liked her immediately, and thanked her for taking out some time during her school break to talk with me.
“I do not have anything to do,” she said, to which her mom quickly responded from the kitchen “Homework, cello lesson [...] But yes, this is the most important thing today.” Elena is in fourth grade — she says she likes it way more than third grade Elena Victoria Chirinos (right) blows out the 10 candles on her birthday cake. Third North resident assistant — and has Kathy Lin (left), who made the cake, records a video of Elena blowing them out. been living in Third North Elena loves living in Third North for two reasons: one, with her father Carlos Chirinos Espin, the Third North as an only child, the RAs and the residents have become faculty fellow in-residence and a Clinical Music and Glob- like her brothers and sisters. The community has become al Health associate professor in Steinhardt, her mother a part of her family. Two, there is a TV room and game Lis Ssenjovu and their multiple fish for two years. Before room, which a lot of her friends do not have. Her friends their move to the residence hall, they lived in Washington get a little confused about her living situation, and she Square Village, and before that, they lived in London until shared that she wants to wear a sign so she doesn’t have to Elena was seven. She nodded her head when I asked her constantly re-explain it. whether she misses London. Though she loves the comContrary to Elena, Joe and Ruby Gary experienced livmunity in the residence hall and her room, she says that ing in a residence hall when they were older. Ruby, now she prefers London, mostly because of their cat, who they a senior in high school, has lived in Brittany Residence left behind. Hall since she was 12, while Joe, now 24, left to attend “We did not want to bring him here because he was an the University of Chicago just one week after the family outside cat,” she shares. “If we had lived on the fifth floor moved into Brittany. Their parents, Steinhardt professors it might have been OK because if he jumps out the balcony Brett Gary and Amy Bentley, have been the FFIRs in Brit— now this is sad — but if he jumped out the balcony his tany for the past five years. With Joe off to college, their brains wouldn’t shatter.” three-bedroom apartment was sufficient in size for Brett, Elena likes doing her homework on the dining room ta- Amy, Ruby and middle sister, Annabelle, who now atble or near the window in her bedroom. Her favorite thing tends Amherst College in Massachusetts. about their home is — and she warns me that it is a little Previously, the five-person family lived in Silver Towers, weird — the shape of the apartment. a three-tower complex for faculty and graduate students. “I like the balcony — we have two,” she said. “And, I However, Joe returned to New York City after graduating don’t know, I like how everything is placed — kind of seems and has been living back with his family for a year and a like it was built for us and our stuff because everything has half, while he works as a medical assistant and completes a place perfectly.” She also loves her bedroom where she keeps all her books, a replica of Hermione’s wand, a small Tardis and her Dum Dum wrappers, of which she claims to have collected over 100. “My bathroom is inside my room, and I like having a bathroom,” she stutters, “ensuite or something? It might not be too clean.”
Elena Victoria Chirinos sits near her family’s balcony opening gifts from residents who came to celebrate h
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