If you could tell one thing to the entire student body, what would you say and why?
Not to be cheesy, but your voice is just about the most powerful asset you possess. I often wonder, if given an audience, what people would do with that power. So, I walked around campus and asked five random people one question: if you could tell one thing to the entire student body, what would you say and why? Someone once told me that the advice we give are the things that we, personally, need to hear the most. When I asked people this question, their reactions followed the same pattern of dumbfoundment, brief awkwardness, a moment of distress, then clarity — like they actually knew exactly what they, themselves, needed to hear. I shouldn’t speak for these people; maybe it was a friend, a parent, a peer, or a past self that they were speaking to. Nonetheless, I hope this may be a reminder that what we say is powerful — for ourselves, for others — and, further, that people willing to listen are out there and will present themselves to you in unexpected places — like I did to random strangers in Curry Student Center, Centennial Common, Shillman, and Snell. What would you say? Hear out your fellow huskies and listen to what they want you to know — maybe it’s what you need to hear most.
Sasha Dubinsky
Third Year
“It’s easy to get caught up in pointless drama in college because you want people to like you, but it’s really not worth it. Because, when we all leave, we are who we were in the beginning or who we make ourselves out to be, and that’s all that matters.”
Nikita Spivakov
First Year
“Can I cite one of my favorite authors? I’m like obsessed with this author and this quote: it doesn’t matter where you are now, just be the best in doing your current business. I say this because there is a program here, a freshman year class, and people are complaining about it, saying ‘this is nothing, it’s a piece of cake, it’s elementary.’ So, the main essence of this quote is that it doesn’t matter where you are now, you just have to be the best in [what you’re doing].”
Alec Sudit
Fifth Year
“Please, pick your head up from your phone when you’re walking because I will run into you. [me: Also, because you look stupid] Also, you look stupid.”
Rhianna Leslie
Second Year
“Try to branch out; do things you wouldn’t normally do. Making a lot of friends is really important because these people, you’re gonna be with them for forever. Find people in your major, [doing] that [can be] helpful in classes, that’s what I do.”
Jenny Li
Third Year
“Love yourself and make sure you’re taking care of yourself: eating the foods you like, getting some exercise, seeing some sunlight. Just take care of yourself, everybody.”