Emma Sulkowicz

Emma Sulkowicz

Re-enter the real world after your finals today with another senior wisdom from an outgoing senior! We bring you Emma Sulkowicz and her words of wisdom this Monday night.  

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Emma Sulkowicz, CC, Visual Arts, New York, NY

Claim to fame: None.

Where are you going? I’m going to stay in New York for a bit and chill out after the craziest year I’ve ever had.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2019?

1. Feminism is cool, and super important. Try a class with Rosalyn Deutsche if you want to see why feminism is so cool! She was the first person to explain it in a way that made sense to me.

2. It’s impossible to make change and stay sane without the right support. I would be nothing without my friends and the professors who guided me. They’ve taught me more than I could have ever learned just in class.

3. We all freak out because we feel friendless at some point. I know just as well as anyone: that feeling of being too weak and depressed to get out of bed in the morning, or the feeling of waking up on a wet pillow soaked with tears. But you all are loved. You all might be mired in shit right now, but I promise you that you are loved. Your real friends get that you’re not perfect, and that’s why they love you.

“Back in my day…” ADP was cool.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I’ll never justify my existence through words. I hope my actions speak louder than my words ever will.

What was your favorite class at Columbia? Feminism and Postmodernism in Art with Rosalyn Deutsche. Photo with Tomas Roma. Sculpture 3 with Jon Kessler. Sculpture 3 with Rirkrit Tiravanija. Senior Thesis with Emily Henretta and Tomas Vu. Text, Magic, Performance with John Pemberton. Modern Dance with Caitlin Trainor and Jodi Melnick. Music Hum with Martha Newland. Intro to Digital Audio with Brad Garton. Philosophy of Art with Lydia Goehr. 20th Century Art with Rosalind Krauss and Catherine Damman. CC with Andrew Nathan and Souleymane Diagne. Art Hum with Brigid von Preussen. Painting 1 with Miguel Cardenas. Lit Hum with Anjuli Raza Kolb.

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese: Oral sex pales in comparison to cheese. The cream cheese at Absolute Bagels is basically oral sex, anyways. (Does cream cheese count?)

One thing to do before graduating? Find others who share your passions and surround yourself with them and create a passionate network of passionate people feeling passionate feelings and thinking passionate thoughts. It’s like an awesome form of masturbation.

Any regrets? I regret not beginning my feminism-studies the moment I got to campus. I regret living in Schapiro my junior year. I regret not having a lawyer guide me through my investigation, attend my hearing, and help write my appeal request in 2013. I regret trusting people who did not deserve my trust. At least, through all of this, I’ve learned who does deserve my trust now!