Katie, in a tree, looking wise

Can’t get enough of Senior Wisdoms? Don’t fret: we’re back to showcase yet another amazing senior, Katie Zheng!

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Katie, Columbia College, Comparative Literature & Society, Alpharetta, GA

Claim to fame: I facilitate conversations about power and privilege but probably most people would only know me as the annoying Asian girl who doesn’t shut up in class and wears too much makeup.

Where are you going? Immediately, doing a Eurotrip. Long-term, coming back to New York to work, so I’ll be around.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2021?

1) Never do all the readings. I swear to god I did all the readings for like, the first three and a half years of my time at Columbia and as a result, I missed out on all the actually important stuff that happens in college, like going out irresponsibly and crying about your life story to strangers on the train. Those are the things you actually grow from, not knowing whatever Rousseau has to say about the state of nature.

2) You’re already doing enough. Just relax! I feel like all my friends who are underclasspeople feel this intense pressure to produce things, to get new internships, to apply for new jobs, to always be doing more stuff. That’s not necessarily the best way to live your life for four years. You have the rest of your life to be capitalism’s productive b*tch, so take these four years to just relax a little and get the sleep you deserve.

3) Get off campus. New York City is so fun and there’s so much to do. Don’t be one of those people who graduates having never gone to Flushing or whatever. Just go off campus once in a while and see what life is like outside the shadow of this institution.

“Back in my day…” Back in my day, people weren’t finding neo-Nazi documents inside books at Butler. Maybe I’m just being nostalgic though.

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: No one needs to justify their existence to me, which is the justification for my existence.

What was your favorite class at Columbia? Definitely a toss-up between Footbinding with Professor Dorothy Ko and Chinese Documentary Cinema with Professor Ying Qian.

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? One makes me break out and gives me gas; the other clears my skin. You do the math.

One thing to do before graduating: Build a time machine that gets me there faster. I don’t believe in bucket lists this close to the finish line.

Any regrets? My motto is if you regret it, just repress it, so none that I can recall at the current moment.

Photo via Katie Zheng