Post-Convocation on the Senior Steps!

My final year as a Bryn Mawr student has begun, and as strange of a college career as I have had, I know this one will still be odd. I think there will also be a lot of good. Thanks to over 98% of the Bryn Mawr community being fully vaccinated, many things are returning to a pre-COVID sense of normalcy. We are holding fully in-person classes again and can take our masks off outdoors. We were able to hold Convocation in person on Senior Row and are able to socialize a bit more freely. This has all been exhilarating and makes me really happy, but it is also going to be an adjustment. It is odd to see campus more lively than it has been since 18 months ago and I’m not sure I remember how to wake up on time to put on real clothes and walk to class. Even so, we are here and I’m going to do everything I can to stay safe and have a good senior year.

There is plenty to look forward to this year. From being SGA President, writing my thesis, (finally!!) getting a real season with crew, and participating in a Praxis next semester (stay tuned for posts on that in the spring), there is no shortage of new things I will be involved in this year. There is also no shortage of work. Thankfully, I completed the coursework for my major last semester.

This year I must still thesis and take two more courses for my philosophy minor, but I have the time and opportunity to take courses because I find them interesting and just want to. This semester I am taking a political philosophy course on democratic revolutions, which I am already loving. I really like political theory and it is great to return to it after not taking such a course in the last year. One of the courses I am taking purely out of interest is still a political science course, Democracy, Politics, and the Media, which I want to take because my interest in press relations has increased recently. The other two courses are a sociology course, Making Sense of Race, and a history course, The Atlantic World 1492-1800. I have taken one sociology course and one history course previously in college, so I have some, but very limited experience, with the subjects. I really want to learn more on the topics of these courses. In Making Sense of Race, we’ll be discussing what race means to individuals, communities, and ourselves. The Atlantic World focuses on how the Atlantic World developed through colonization and the movement of people, goods, and ideas between Africa, Europe, and the Americas. This week we are learning about indigenous state systems in the Americas and will continue the course with classes on colonization, European conflicts, and the experiences of enslaved people as well as maroon communities.

Another reason I was interested in these courses is for the professors. I have heard great things from students about the professors for these two courses: Piper Sledge for Making Sense of Race and Ignacio Gallup-Diaz for The Atlantic World. Professor Gallup-Diaz is also an Atlantic World historian specifically, so I know this is the best course to take to learn about the topic. I really appreciate many of the professors at Bryn Mawr and the wide array of courses which are available. I know I won’t be able to take these classes or even find this knowledge elsewhere, so I want to take advantage of it this year.

the Senior Steps get covered in confetti after Parade Night – red for the first years

In addition to being excited for these classes, there is much to look forward to in my year as SGA President and writing my thesis. SGA was the part of Bryn Mawr that really made me love this school. I never imagined I’d serve two terms on the EBoard, but I am thrilled for this opportunity. The EBoard has already begun work for the SGA agenda this year and we also have plenty to do in helping campus adjust to the changing environment. We are holding hybrid meetings, with some people attending in person and others on Zoom. We are thinking about how exactly to hold Plenary so that it doesn’t involve sitting in Goodhart for several hours. We are planning to hold some events which were cancelled last year due to COVID and still looking for ways to keep them safe. Even traditions are returning to in-person events this year. There is a lot for us to think about and do in this strange year, but I am always excited for SGA and all that it entails.

My thesis is taking some more time to figure out, but I have a little while until I need to propose my topic. I never imagined I would be looking forward to my thesis, given that I do not consider myself an academic and it is a daunting task. Somehow, I have wound up excited for it and the chance to really explore policy so deeply. It’s an integral part of being a Bryn Mawr student, so I will be sure to share more information as I plan for it this semester and write in the spring.

While it is so exciting to be returning campus life to some aspects of normalcy, I am cautiously optimistic. As much as we are going back to pre-COVID activities and behaviors, this pandemic is far from over. Being in classrooms with normal capacity levels again is confusing. Going off campus for competitions may be uncomfortable and even with an incredibly high vaccination rate, the Delta variant will still cause cases to appear on campus. Being allowed to socialize with more people after a year and a half of lockdown is somewhat scary and anxiety-inducing. Still, we are figuring things out. I will stay masked and be careful with my interactions to keep myself and those around me safe. The world is still plenty scary and confusing, but I’ll do everything I can to have the best senior year possible. There will be good alongside all the fear and uncertainty and I am looking forward to all that my last year as a Bryn Mawr student will bring.