Washington Square News | While You Were Here 2021

Washington Square News

Washington Square News Staff Editor-in-Chief

Alexandria Johnson Managing Editor

Paul Kim DEPUTY

Kaylee DeFreitas, Ashley Wu Creative Director

Deborah Alalade, Susan Behrends Valenzuela Copy Chiefs

Nicole Chiarella, Alex Tey DEPUTY Lorraine Olaya, Max Tiefer Multimedia

Alexandra Chan PHOTO Jake Capriotti VIDEO George Papazov DEPUTY MULTI Manasa Gudavalli, Alex Tran DEPUTY PHOTO Taylor Knight SENIOR STAFF

NEWS Trace Miller CULTURE Dana Sun ARTS Sasha Cohen,

Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer SPORTS Mitesh Shrestha

DEPUTY STAFF Arnav Binaykia, Roshni Raj FILM JP Pak MUSIC Ana Cubas PERFORMING ARTS Jennifer Ren VIDEO GAME Nathan Chizen CULTURE Sabrina Choudhary BEAUTY & STYLE Sam Brinton DINING Gabby Lozano NEWS

OPINION PAGE Dai, Kevin Kurian Ramachandran

EDITOR Emily DEPUTY Asha

UNDER THE ARCH Caitlin Hsu, Vaishnavi Naidu SENIOR EDITOR Ivy Zhu DEPUTY Sydney Barragan MULTIMEDIA Brooklyn Nguyen VOICES Mariam Khan, Abbey Whelan EXPOSURES Ryan Walker MANAGING EDITOR

ADVERTISING

Business Manager

Mel Bautista Director of Sales

Yejin Chang Customer Specialist

Catherine Chen ADVISING

Director of Operations

Nanci Healy

ABOUT WSN: Washington Square News (ISSN 15499389) is the student newspaper of New York University. WSN is published in print on Mondays and throughout the week online during NYU’s academic year, except for university holidays, vacations and exam periods.

CORRECTIONS: WSN is committed to accurate reporting. When we make errors, we do our best to correct them as quickly as possible. If you believe we have erred, contact the managing editors at managing@nyunews.com.

Table of Contents

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Six-Word Memoirs

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Before and After: seniors give advice on their time at NYU

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How Do You Zoom?

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Finishing college from home: students reflect on a remote final semester

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15

Milestones

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Proud To Be First: First Generation Students Talk About Their Experiences

While You Were Here 2021

Letter

from the

Editors

After two months of stress, hard work and sending so many emails that everyone probably hates me for, it’s finally here. This Special Issue is particularly special to me for several reasons. Not only is it the first long-term project that Vaishnavi and I produced as co-managing editors of Under the Arch, but it was produced by an entirely new staff of amazing editors! I cannot express enough how proud I am of Ivy, Sydney, Abbey, Mariam, Ryan and Brooke for all the amazing work they’ve done to make this possible, especially coming into it having never worked for UTA before. Thank you all so, so much for everything you’ve done this past semester.

I also want to give a huge shout out to the design team, Debbie and Susan, for bearing with us through the chaos. You’ve played just as big a role as any of us in helping this come to fruition, and I am constantly amazed by your talents.

More shoutouts — Alex, our Editor-in-Chief, who so patiently answered all 50 billion of my questions. Finley and Mandie, who believed in us enough to pass on the torch. Guru, our grandfather managing editor, who had no obligation to help but did so anyway because he’s just cool like that.

Finally, I wanna give a special thank you to Vaishnavi, who brilliantly stepped up to share this role with me and has been my net to fall back on throughout this entire process.

To the class of 2021, thank you all for sharing your thoughts, feelings, vulnerabilities and stories with us. I know you’re all probably sick of hearing congratulations and platitudes, so I’ll save us both the trouble. Enjoy the special issue!

To put it simply, this was a hell of a year. At first, it was difficult for Caitlin and I to figure out what exactly to put in this special issue of “While You Were Here” because we wanted to focus on the positives and celebrate the beginning of a new chapter of the seniors’ lives. But here we are, two months later, with a special issue we are proud to share with you.

I want to thank my amazing co-managing editor Caitlin Hsu, who so wonderfully took on the role without any hesitation and powered through it. Her commitment to Under the Arch is the reason this Special Issue exists. I also want to thank the rest of the team, who are all completely new to Under the Arch but worked together seamlessly from day one. Thank you Ivy, Sydney, Abbey, Mariam, Ryan and Brooke for your work.

I also want to thank our predecessors Finley and Mandie (and our ancestor Guru!) for their support during our first production, and our brilliant EIC Alex.

Congratulations to the class of 2021! We wish you the best of luck on your journey and hope you enjoy this tribute!

Vaishnavi Naidu Under the Arch Managing Editor

Caitlin Hsu Under the Arch Managing Editor

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Washington Square News

Six-Word Memoirs

Seniors sum up their experience at NYU in six words.

By Mariam Khan Voices Editor

and Vasihnavi Naidu UTA Managing Editor

It was the weirdest of times Kate Remelius Tisch, Film/TV SUSAN BEHRENDS VALENZUELA | WSN

Leaving behind the good old days.

Fareeha Mahmood CAS, Economics | Wagner, Public Policy

SUSAN BEHRENDS VALENZUELA | WSN

My love for my art grew.

Samantha LaRochelle Tisch, Dramatic Writing SUSAN BEHRENDS VALENZUELA | WSN

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While You Were Here 2021

I knew I could do anything Christian Hamilton CAS, Psychology SUSAN BEHRENDS VALENZUELA | WSN

I wish it didn’t end here.

Riley Smith Steinhardt, Applied Psychology

SUSAN BEHRENDS VALENZUELA | WSN

Highs and Lows; One Amazing Adventure Raneen Khalil Stern, Business Concentration in Finance

SUSAN BEHRENDS VALENZUELA | WSN

Email Mariam Khan at mkhan@nyunews.com and Vaishnavi Naidu at vnaidu@nyunews.com.

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Washington Square News

Before and After: seniors give advice on their time at NYU Seniors reflect on their four years and give advice to future students.

By Sydney Barragan UTA Deputy Editor

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While You Were Here 2021

Advice to First Year self: “Take care of yourself. Yes academics are important but don’t let it jeopardize you. Practice self care.”

Advice to other students: “Cherish your time of every moment.”

here

and

make

the

most

PHOTO COURTESY OF EVANI POLANCO

Evani Polanco CAS English

Advice to First Year self: “It’s ok to not know exactly what is next. It’s ok to not have everything planned out.”

Advice to other students: “Try your best not to compare yourself to others. It’s difficult at a school like NYU but whatever you are doing is the right path for you.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NATALIE RAU

Natalie Rau CAS, History

Advice to First Year self: “Get involved in the community, whether that be at NYU or NYC -- it’ll definitely help make college more worthwhile!”

Advice to other students: “Prioritizing having fun!! Spend time with friends, explore all the boroughs in the City, and make the most of your short four years here. It’ll all feel like a blip when you’re finally graduating :)” PHOTO COURTESY OF FAREEHA MAHMOOD

Fareeha Mahmood CAS, Economics | Wagner, Public Policy

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Advice to First Year self: “Imposter Syndrome is so real but you got into this school for a reason. If you didn’t deserve to be here you wouldn’t be, but here you are. Just keep going and make sure to not overbook yourself!”

Advice to other students: “Don’t be afraid to go out of the NYU bubble and do all of the “touristy” stuff while you have time. It will help you become more comfortable in the city and make you the best tour guide when people come visit. It will help you fall in love with the city even more!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHEYENNE QUINTELA

Cheyenne Quintela CAS, Linguistics

Advice to First Year self: “Take more risks and put yourself out there more! I remember I barely tried out or applied for things my first couple years at NYU because I was so scared of putting myself out there, and I ended up missing out on a lot, and I made it harder for myself to make new, lasting friends. It wasn’t until I started taking those risks and pushing myself out of my comfort zone that I finally found my place and my communities, and felt fully and truly at home at NYU. And enjoy it while you’re there! Take advantage of the experience because it really does fly by.”

Advice to other students: PHOTO COURTESY OF OLIVIA ZHONG

Olivia Zhong CAS, Economics minors in Psychology and BEMT

“If you can, try to plan ahead (not just the next semester but the next couple years) with the courses you hope to take and the ones you know you need to take, and try to balance it out in the way that will work best for you! Also, if you know you want to study abroad, check if the sites you’re interested in offer classes you’ll need, that way you can make the most of it and take them in the order that makes the most sense for you (and some Core classes related to culture can be better experienced abroad)!”

Advice to First Year self: “Please actually study harder. You cannot get by like you did in HS and you will regret it once your GPA starts falling :)”

Advice to other students: “Make the most of your NYU experience. Our lack of campus creates a huge divide and a lot of separate groups, but don’t let it stop you from finding your people and making memories and joining clubs.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER FREDA

Jennifer Freda CAS, Psychology

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While You Were Here 2021

Advice to First Year self: “Buy a planner and actually use it.”

Advice to other students: “If you have no idea what you want to do with your life then you are on the right track!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALICE GUBERMAN

Alice Guberman CAS, Psychology minor in CAMS

Advice to First Year self: “Dear Freshman year Tori, Swallow your pride and preconceived notions about mental health and go to the wellness center. Just because you are a high achieving and positive person does not mean that your struggles are invalid. ADHD manifests differently in women, so go get the help you need in order to fully thrive at NYU. Lastly, document your memories. You will want to remember these years. NYU will push you outside your comfort zone, but only if you let it.”

Advice to other students:

PHOTO COURTESY OF TORI BIANCO

Tori Bianco CAS, International Relations & Spanish

Email Sydney Barragan at sbarragan@nyunews.com.

“Every person you meet doesn’t have to be your ‘forever friend’, and even if you did find them, never limit yourself from meeting new people. You will have friends that will grind with you in Bobst all day and friends that will stay out on the town with you all night. You need both of these influences in your life. Do your schoolwork, but don’t forget to take a break and appreciate where you are and who you are with.

News flash: NYU isn’t cheap. Take advantage of every free event or service that you can. Also, go to class. You will thank yourself later. If your major doesn’t light your fire, then find something else. Don’t waste these years at a school like NYU learning about something you aren’t passionate about. Take classes that make you excited to go to class.”

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How Do You Zoom?

This is how four students set-up their layout for Zoom classes this semester.

By Vasihnavi Naidu UTA Managing Editor

and Ivy Zhu UTA Senior Editor

Chen Zhou Stern, Finance “I’m majoring in finance with minors in statistics and philosophy, so it’s important that I have two monitors for multitasking. I can watch lectures while keeping an eye on other things.”

CHEN ZHOU

Chen Zhou’s desk featurres a dual computer screen set-up. The use of two screens allows for multitasking between lectures and other activities.

Emily Brown Stern “1) The best part of my Zoom setup is the space heater under my desk – an absolute game changer on cold days, $20 on Amazon, best purchase I’ve made all year. 2) I killed a plant in like the first week of September and accidentally discovered that the pot that I had kept it in is actually the perfect height for a laptop stand, so that’s what that is.”

EMILY BROWN

Emily Brown’s desk features a dual computer screen set up. The desk has a flower pot to hold up the laptop, which keeps it at eye level for zoom meetings.

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While You Were Here 2021

Sanskar Agarwal Tisch, Acting Program

SANSKAR AGARWAL

A makeshift desk is made out of paper towel roles and a stacking drawer storage system. This desk also houses the computer screen that Sanskar Agarwal uses for zoom acting classes and performances during the pandemic.

“The biggest impact of Zoom theater has been going from cleaning my floor once a month to three times a week. I primarily spend 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday rolling on my own bedroom floor. I’ve done it for so long I can now close my eyes and walk around my room without bumping into a thing.

Acting over Zoom is weird – making physical gestures and connecting with a partner over a computer screen is weird. Zoom plays means you not only do your own costume, makeup, lighting, and cinematography, but also that you stage a play with people you’ve never met in real life. Backstage banter is reduced to a few funny Zoom chats and audience anxiety to a few numbers at the bottom of your screen. I don’t feel as much of the physical freedom or the emotional rush of being on stage.

But hey, I’m in a South Asian Theater group, performing with actors and for audiences across the world (“Come watch my show at 11:30 a.m. EDT/8:30 a.m. PDT/8:30 p.m. PKT/9 p.m. IST”). We sometimes fake passing objects across the screen, and I can’t think of a better cheap thrill. We get innovative and go anywhere from dancing around with the camera to having multiple scenes operating simultaneously all around our room. We keep the art going, even if only from our distantly connected bubbles.”

Morgan Warren Tisch, Acting Program “Finding a room in New York that feels like more than just a place to sleep is a challenge. Finding one in which you can sleep, talk to friends, take classes, do homework, read, and occasionally freak out about the impending postgrad future is an Everest. In true New York fashion, my desk is a street find, but completed with an ever-present cup of coffee, a rotating pile of notebooks, overpriced but aesthetically pleasing pens, and of course, a photo of my dog. Throughout the day, it gets progressively more cluttered, but beginning each day with a clean desk makes me feel as though I’m not slowly losing my sanity during my final semester. That being said, the key element of my Zoom setup is the window just to my right that is there at the end of every day to remind me that the greatest city in the world is just beyond my desk.”

Email Vaishnavi Naidu at vnaidu@nyunews.com and Ivy Zhu at izhu@nyunews.com.

MORGAN WARREN

A desk is positioned right next to a window overlooking New York City. The desk is the hub for zoom learning but also serves as a drop off station for notebooks, water bottles, and coffee mugs.

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Washington Square News

Finishing college from home:

students reflect on a remote final semester Three seniors reflect on the disappointments and silver linings of spending their last semester of college at home, studying remotely.

By Caitlin Hsu UTA Managing Editor “Promises were not kept.”

Alejandro Villa Vásquez spoke these words from the Queens apartment where he attends classes remotely. A senior in NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences, Villa

Vásquez is not only in his final semester of college, but also his third semester studying online through Zoom. Though he was promised four years at one of the country’s top universities, he is now having to graduate remotely after losing a year and a half to the pandemic.

“I am disappointed. We absolutely did

A white desk is centered below a painting of two birds. Alejandro Villa Vásquez shares his zoom set up.

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ALEJANDRO VILLA VÁSQUEZ

not get what we were promised, he says.

“And I’m not even blaming NYU, because they can’t control the pandemic. You can’t blame anyone, and there’s nothing you can do.”

The final semester of senior year is often a tumultuous time for students, between the stress of graduation and post-graduation plans, the nostalgia for the place that has been their home for the past four years and the exhilaration of completing the final stretch of their college journey. However, members of the class of 2021 who are studying remotely also have to grapple with an additional emotion: grief for a college experience that they will never get back.

For Villa Vásquez, the most disappointing part of graduating remotely is the loss of access to resources, especially valuable connections with other people in the media industry, his desired field.

“I committed to NYU because it offered me access to social capital that I wouldn’t find otherwise,” he says. “And that’s what I mourn most — the fact that I can’t have relationships with professors and other students in a way that could be beneficial.”

Although it is possible to meet people and form connections online, he says it’s just not the same.

“It was so disheartening to realize that I would never be in close contact with people who have a lot of sway in this industry,” he says. “Conversations are not as rich [online] as they would be in person.”

Kyra-Lee Harry, a senior at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, has struggled to come to terms with the fact that her last day with her classmates was over a year ago instead of this May. “I wish I could be on campus and share these moments with my friends,” she says. “Just being able to be there and reminisce, and make sure I have that lasting memory with everyone before we move on and venture off to our new lives.”

Continued on Page 13

While You Were Here 2021

Conitinued from Page 12 However, studying remotely did give Harry the opportunity to participate in the annual Forbes Idea Incubator, an all-female challenge hosted by Forbes and NYU Tandon that aimed to close the gender gap in electric vehicle buyers.

“I was able to engage with other students and connect with people from Tandon,” says Harry. “And that was really great, because it spoke to my experience. I’ve never done [the challenge] before. They always held it in person, but I was able to do it virtually.”

Harry even went on to become the first-ever winner of the Trailblazer Award for her teamwork and collaboration skills.

For Natalia Haberberg, a Tisch Film and TV senior studying remotely in Krakow, Poland, living at home had some silver linings as well.

“I’d only gone home for a couple weeks over the past four years,” says Haberberg, “So it was really nice to catch up with childhood friends and be with my family and see my grandma.”

She was even able to find an internship at a marketing agency in Krakow and work in person briefly, which she says would not have been possible had she stayed in New York.

Despite how unconventional their final months of college have been, these students have tried to keep their college experience alive by participating in online competitions, attending Zoom

events, or simply keeping in touch with their friends around the world.

“I don’t really care for Zoom trivia nights or Zoom bingo,” Villa Vásquez said. “But I have friends that I see sometimes, and I hang out with my roommate a lot, making cocktails at home.”

Villa Vásquez also mentioned that he would be reading at a Zoom event later that evening. Similarly, Harry has been maintaining her friendships through social media and online communication.

“I stay connected with classmates through texting and FaceTime,” she says. “Of course, it’s not the same as engaging with people on campus. I’ve just been trying my best to stay up to date with what’s going on in my friends’ lives and checking in with them.”

Knowing that many students around the world are going through the same struggles has helped her keep going.

“I’m trying my best to live out my senior year and remember that I’m not doing this by myself,” says Harry.

“There’s thousands of other students who are going through the same thing.

I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to at least finish school, because a lot of people couldn’t.”

The view of Krakow, Poland out of a student’s window.

NATALIA HABERBERG

Alejandro Villa Vásquez was formerly a deputy managing editor at WSN. Email Caitlin Hsu at chsu@nyunews.com.

KYRA-LEE HARRY

A desk is utilized for zoom class, but also as a drop-off storage location for other items including books, headphones, hand sanitizer, and a camera. Kyra-Lee Harry shares her zoom set up.

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Washington Square News

Opt in to NYU Alumni

FOMO? DON’T MISS OUT, CLASS OF 2021!

GET THE EVENT INVITATIONS, NEWS, DISCOUNTS, AND MORE THAT MATTER THE MOST TO YOU. UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND PREFERENCES SO WE CAN HELP YOU STAY CONNECTED. SIGN UP FOR THE BEST OF NYU ALUMNI SENT TO YOUR (EMAIL) INBOX. VISIT ALUMNI.NYU.EDU/OPT-IN.

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While You Were Here 2021

Milestones

An NYU senior reflects on her own personal growth, as well as the growth of everyone around her during a time of loss and uncertainty.

By Abbey Whelan UTA Voices Editor

After more than a year of pandemic life, everyone has experienced a quarantine birthday. We have adjusted our expectations around celebrations. As an NYU senior, I have already grieved the loss of in-person graduation and tucked my cap and gown into the back of my closet. Like many other seniors, I had another celebratory event overturned by the pandemic: my 22nd birthday.

Turning 22 isn’t conventionally considered a milestone. You can get your driver’s license at 16.

You can buy a lottery ticket at 18 (and vote, but statistically you won’t). You can drink legally at 21. But turning 22 doesn’t grant you any grand gesture to declare your newfound maturity, aside from quoting Taylor Swift in your Instagram caption. It’s the age most students graduate college, though. Although you’re legally an adult at 18, you become a real adult at 22: finishing college, moving out of your parents’ house or getting your first real job.

It is a day to commemorate, if only with internal acknowledgment of your future possibilities.

But with social distancing, finals and already-lackluster expectations, I marked the occasion with hours of homework, pastries and old Spotify playlists. As I walked to my favorite coffeeshop for that carbohydrate fix, I passed through Washington Square Park and pressed shuffle. Through the almighty powers of the universe or the Spotify algorithm, I got one of my favorite songs from high school, “Your Body Is a Weapon” by The Wombats.

I hadn’t heard the song in ages, but I sang along to every line. As I carefully avoided walking underneath the Arch, I stopped myself before accidentally belting out the words to the bridge: “I don’t come here for the exclusivity/I just come here for the view/And the miniscule chance of some close proximity/Or an awkward conversation with you.”

As I heard those lyrics, I was back in my sophomore year of high school. I had an embarrassing crush on the popular boy who barely acknowledged me. Every day, we would exit class into the same hallway. I would pack up my books slowly so we could walk out of the door at the same time. I wouldn’t speak to him, though. I would just follow slightly behind and hope he’d turn around, or at least, see me out of the corner of his eye, so I could casually smile and wave. In retrospect, my borderline-stalkerish behavior was simultaneously sweet, stupid and sad, perfectly encapsulating who I was at 15.

I hadn’t thought about this boy or my hallway nonsense since, but the song still held memories.

Even at 22, my earbuds are another limb and lyrics are a guiding force in my life. What I couldn’t decipher was why these words that represented teenage awkwardness felt perfect for turning 22.

Birthdays are always nostalgic, benchmarks that force reflection on personal growth. My nostalgia was only amplified by my anxiety about an impending graduation. Yet as I walked through the campus that had become my home, I wasn’t reminiscing about my favorite college memories, contemplating my feelings about saying goodbye or memorializing the resident park rats. Instead, I

was fixating on some guy who hadn’t crossed my mind in six years.

When I finally sat down in the coffeeshop and opened my laptop to attempt expressing the unique circumstances of graduating college during a pandemic, I realized what was so special about that song and the memory of my schoolgirl crush. It represented a time of innocence in one’s life — when you couldn’t form sentences around someone you like, when one smile or wave would make your day, when everyday moments felt like coming-of-age scenes from an ’80s teen rom-com.

Graduating college and growing older can feel like a loss of youthful bliss. Shedding the final remnants of adolescence may make you romanticize a time when your biggest anxiety was whether your crush would text you back. And if you’re like me, your coping mechanism will be blasting 2010s alt-pop.

Many seniors may not view graduating this year as a loss of innocence, but I do. Before the pandemic, I would have pointed to numerous incidents throughout my life as the moment I lost my naivete — the first time I cleaned someone else’s drunken vomit, experienced a psychotic episode or wept over an open casket. I would have defined that mental shift as when I was sexually assaulted, unable to pay my rent or told I might fail out of school. For my fellow graduates, after four years of college screw-ups, adulting challenges, toxic relationships and the trials of living in New York City, we may feel we lost our innocence a long time ago.

Even though I have always expected the worst, this pandemic exposed me to new blind spots in my hardened worldview. We have lost so much over the past year. We have experienced quantifiable losses like loved ones, financial security and social interaction, as well as more abstract ones like freedom, stability and normalcy. But what is the sum of these individual pains? For many, this crisis is the first time everything has been taken away at once. Instead of one slap in the face from the universe at a time — the death of a loved one or the loss of a job — our whole world was altered in an instant. This sudden upending conjures a special kind of grief.

Acknowledging life’s instability can be beautiful, too. It adds a new dimension to your future plans.

When you know that everything can change, you are compelled to use your time and energy better. While I cringe as I write it, this principle can be summarized as YOLO. But in a time associated with restriction, identifying the areas of freedom is essential.

Changing your worldview can offer a blank page for life going forward. As a writer and someone who hates uncertainty, a blank page is the scariest thing in the world. You have a choice — litter it with your tears or write your triumphs. When you open yourself up to the possibilities life has to offer, you can be more purposeful with your decisions. And if you allow yourself to question the path laid for you, you are better equipped to deal with unexpected changes.

These lessons are invaluable for graduating students, and I have been astounded by those who have adapted to changing circumstances and grown in an era of limitation. They have discov-

ered new aspects of themselves. Some have decided to completely change their self-expression or direction for their lives, developing a newfound sense of purpose.

Some of these insights stem from a place of pain.

Over the past year, I have often heard pundits refer to the pandemic as a “trying time.” Yes, it’s trying. It’s also traumatic. We have all had to grieve for something, even if only jumping in the fountain of Washington Square Park on graduation day.

Personally, I have also grieved for the future self I thought I would be when I received my diploma, a person who was more confident or accomplished.

Like most of the world, I have also been affected by more than one death during the pandemic. The hardest hit was the passing of my uncle, a vibrant man who brought light into the lives of everyone he met. But the loss that currently weighs on my mind is an old friend. He was an NYU senior who battled his demons and lost, a fate I’ve witnessed others at this university suffer before him. At the start of my college career, he threw me into a period of darkness that contributed to one of the loss-of-innocence moments mentioned above.

For some reason, during a time of celebration and possibility, the death of someone who had caused me pain weighed more heavily than that of someone who had brought me joy. I learned about his death the day before my birthday. As I drank my coffee and celebrated 22 years, a milestone he would never share with me, I realized I was ruminating on how much potential he had. Not just to “succeed,” but also to overcome his internal issues. I thought he had time to grow, another area of naivete that’s vanished.

So as I mourn and decipher these complex emotions, I am also trying to learn from him and this concept of potential. Because that’s how I view myself and my fellow seniors. Regardless of my personal feelings about them, I see all the potential we have in this life. I see beyond the things we can accomplish with an NYU degree to the people we can become.

As we receive our vaccinations, hug our loved ones again and walk in the world with less mortal terror, we should reflect on the changes that occured in this world and in ourselves. I don’t want us to emerge into the post-pandemic world defining our next steps by what we have lost.

These trials have given us insight to apply to the world’s emerging possibilities. To draw from either Roman philosopher Seneca or modern philosopher Oprah, luck is when preparation meets opportunity. In that sense, this graduating class is really lucky.

Let’s use the remainder of this time of limitation for reflection, self-improvement and ambitious plans. As pieces of normalcy return, it is tempting to rush into old patterns of behavior that were holding us back. We can swing to the opposite end of the pendulum. Now is the time for balance. Don’t forget what you’ve learned through the hardships of this pandemic. Because as you leave your house and leave this university, you have so many opportunities in front of you. Even if you can’t recognize it yet, you have grown stronger through this ordeal.

Email Abbey Whelan at awhelan@nyunews.com.

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Proud To Be First:

First Generation Students Talk About Their Experiences NYU seniors Yasmine Elasmar, Brianna Ivette Vera and Michael GuerreroCalderon reflect on being first-generation graduates — the first in their immediate family to graduate from college.

By Ivy Zhu UTA Senior Editor The following are transcripts from interviews conducted with three students from Proud to Be First, a mentorship program at NYU College of Arts and Science for students who are the first in their family to graduate college.

able to survive four years of undergrad in a really challenging degree. Right now, I’m graduating with a degree in psychology on the pre-med track, and a minor in chemistry. And I know my family has supported me one thousand percent the entirety of my time at NYU. So I know they’re definitely proud of me, they’re always rooting for me, and they share in all of my successes with me. My family has done so much by providing me with housing, sending me extra money, making sure I’m on par with all my classes and always making me feel secure and content with where I am in my life.

I’ve definitely struggled with my own feelings of anxiety and impostor syndrome, especially as a first-generation student in a university where first-generation is also considered, I would say, a minority population. Often when you’re first-generation, there’s also intersectionality with a lot of PHOTO COURTESTY OF YASMINE ELASMAR Yasmine Elasmar (second from right) is graduating with a degree in psychology on the pre-med track, and a minor racial minority backgrounds. So I find myin chemistry. Elasmar talks about her family and what being a first-generation student means. self often feeling a bit lost and behind in terms of where everyone else is in my class.

As a first-year student, I felt like I needed someone with experience. I needed knowledge, and someone who could act as a role model to guide me through those feelings. And CAS, Psychology so I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a lot of great programs and part of an amazing family.

Yasmine Elasmar

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Q: How do you feel about being the first in your family to graduate college? What does this milestone feel like?

A: It’s thanks to the Proud to Be First community that my emotions and anxieties were never overlooked, and I always felt heard.

I think my overarching goal is to leave a footprint behind as I transition out of my senior year at NYU. My aim is to provide first-generation students at NYU with the same unconditional support system that uplifted my spirits when I was a first-year student. I want to augment all of the amazing opportunities offered to first-generation students, and in doing so, I can graduate from NYU knowing that I passed on wonderful lessons and experiences onto my mentees. I want to pass the torch and hope that in the future, the mentee that I have now and also other first-generation students will carry on this tradition and continue to make NYU a great home for its students.

Q: Do you plan on pursuing a graduate degree? If so, what?

A: I’m definitely planning on pursuing a graduate degree. I’m deciding to take two years before applying to med schools. My plan is to attend med school in the tri-state area so I can be close to my family in New Jersey and also be in the center of it all in New York.

I think it’s important that students actually gain work experience before they enter med school so we can in turn be better doctors in our community. And so that’s my plan: I’d be entering med school in 2023. I hope to either work in pediatrics neurology or be an OBGYN just because there are so many issues with the community and how marginalized communities and women are misrepresented by our healthcare system. And I really want to help close that gap. And it’s also important to me because I’ve often experienced those disparities myself.

Q: How does your family interpret these accomplishments of yours?

A: I know my family is very, very proud of me, especially being

Q: Summarize your experience at NYU as a first-generation student in three simple words A: Challenging, eye-opening and grit.

While You Were Here 2021

Brianna Ivette Vera CAS Q: How do you feel about being the first in your family to graduate college? What does this milestone feel like?

A: I’m really happy to be the first in my family to graduate college. My mom came here when she was 18 years old, like many immigrants, in search for a better life for her and her future children. And I’m really happy to have made my mom’s dream come true, and my grandma’s dream as well. My mom never finished high school, and my grandmother only got up to the second grade. So I feel really happy for myself and my family that in a span of three generations, we’ve been able to make it to higher education. I’m really just amazed at myself that I’ve been able to do this and also juggle extracurriculars, and two or three jobs at some point. So it’s really a testament to what I’m capable of doing. I used to underestimate myself, especially when I was in high school, but now I know that I’m really capable of doing whatever I set my mind to.

complishments, especially the fact that I was able to get a full-time job after graduation. I think that was the most stressful part for myself and my family. Graduating college is of course a really important step in the process, but getting a full-time job, paying off loans and starting your career is a huge step in the career path. I think my family is just happy that I’ve been able to graduate college and not really struggle to find a job after graduation.

Q: How does your family interpret these accomplishments of yours?

A: My family is also very happy about my ac-

Q: Summarize your experience at NYU as a first-generation student in three simple words A: Transformative, tense and stressful.

Q: Do you plan on pursuing a graduate degree? If so, what?

A: I do plan to pursue a graduate degree.

I’m planning to take a two-year gap period just to step away from school and also to hope that school resumes to normal. I do not do well on Zoom, but I’m really excited to pursue a graduate degree in a more concentrated field — sustainable development, whether that be in government or working with NGOs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIANNA IVETTE VERA

Brianna Ivette Vera talks about her accomplishments and struggles as a first-generation student.

Michael Guerrero-Calderon CAS Q: How do you feel about being the first in your family to graduate college? What does this milestone feel like?

A: I am a senior at NYU majoring in Global Public Health and Sociology on the pre-health track. Along with my sister who received her bachelor’s and master’s degree recently, knowing I’m going to be the first in my family to graduate with her does cause me to feel a lot of responsibility on my shoulders.

While this milestone makes me feel proud of myself, I have a lot of anxiety about what my next steps will be, and what I feel like they have to be after college. I want to be someone that not only loves what I do, but also uses the benefits of my career to support my family and do whatever I can to make myself happy. It can be both overwhelming and exciting to be able to graduate, not only high school, but now college.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL GUERRERO-CALDERON

Michael Guerrero-Calderon is graduating with a major in Global Public Health and Sociology on the pre-health track. Gurrero-Calderon intends to pursue more schooling with a few gap years.

This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.

Email Ivy Zhu at izhu@nyunews.com.

Q: How does your family interpret these accomplishments of yours?

A: They’ve always praised me for being able to attend NYU on a full-ride scholarship. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to accept my invitation to enroll here. My family’s always excited to see every next step I take on my

academic journey, and they always wish nothing but the best for me as my work becomes more rigorous every semester. However, I do know they like to ensure my mental health is in check. As someone who lives with anxiety, they know how overwhelmed I can get with workloads. But their concerns are always in my best interests.

Q: Do you plan on pursuing a graduate degree? If so, what?

A: Definitely. I intend to go to medical school and pursue an MD/MPH in medical school. My intentions are to take a two-year gap in between. Just because with COVID-19, I definitely feel like I need a breather from education and to focus on myself. I want to use the two gap years to gain more clinical exposure, to understand what type of doctor I want to be, and to ensure I have a lot of financial security before taking that big step of paying for medical school. And also just to travel and do whatever I can in between visiting places. Studying abroad taught me that I really do like traveling.

Q: Summarize your experience at NYU as a first-generation student in three simple words A: Intense, insightful and inspiring.

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