Buy, sell, or trade the wisdom from one of our favorite meme group’s co-founders!

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Christina Hill; Columbia College; History and Slavic Studies; Kailua, Hawaii

Claim to fame: Co-Founding Columbia Buy Sell Memes (alongside Lauren Beltrone BC ‘17); Spec Columnist; Hewitt dining hall hype-girl; becoming suddenly and publicly interested in Russia; 1/8th of the all-female research team to the Marshall Islands; Union Theological Seminary courtyard’s biggest fan.

Where are you going? Almaty, Kazakhstan to learn more Russian as Princeton in Asia fellow. But for now, to Westside for some soup samples.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2023?

Communication is EVERYTHING– This is the most important lesson I’ve learned here: things will get hard if you don’t communicate your feelings. Nothing resolves itself by ignoring it. You will have to voice your frustrations, despite how hard that may be, in order to make it better. Petty games don’t work! Through honest communication (IN PERSON) my friendships have lasted and I’ve realized who I want to be. This also applies to professors: let them know what is going on. They want to help but can only do so if you reach out.

Be Kind– To yourself and to others. First, as someone who walked away from freshman year with a 2.8 GPA, I can tell you the world gets easier when you can forgive yourself for mistakes and resolve to do better next time. Second, It costs $0 to say “Hi, how are you?” to those people swiping you in, your classmates, or anyone. Tiny displays of kindness can help us each overcome the most challenging moments here. Hold the door open for others, don’t be pretentious, and text people back.

Let Columbia Give You $$– Read all the emails sent to you because chances are there opportunities that nobody knows that will help you pursue your ideas. I scammed two summers with free housing in the City, received a grant to learn Russian, and did research for two professors with the help of cold emails and paperwork.

Because Rules are Arbitrary — Life is too short for bad relationships and bad coffee; ditch that crew boy who can’t talk about his feelings and start exploring cafés on Columbus. Bad grades will not be the end of your career. Explore roofs. Live in Schapiro. Get to know yourself (intimately and emotionally). Learn about the long history of Columbia student dissent (1932, 1968, 1984, etc.) and familiarize yourself with today’s ongoing campus activism. Study at Dodge Music Library (7th Floor Dodge Hall). Write a thesis. Take lap swim PE. Ask your classmates out to coffee. Go to Postcrypt. Bike around Central Park at night. Go to office hours and become friends with your professors and TAs. Support the GWC-UAW Local 2110. Drop in on classes/lectures around campus about anything/everything. Go to the Writing Center. Take an Ancient Studies class. Apply to jobs you’re not qualified for. Only date grad students.

“Back in my day…” I procrastinated by going to American Apparel on 110th. Amigos existed, Koronet’s had a bathroom, and Ferris had comfortable chairs outside it rather than those swanky tables.

Favorite Columbia controversy? This is more of a conspiracy but why did all the vending machines on campus stop having normal cheetos and replaced them with cheddar jalapeño flavored cheetos? Why haven’t people talked about this?

Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: I’m here, and that’s all the justification needed.

What was your favorite class at Columbia? Tie between History of the US-Middle East Relations with Paul Chamberlin and Sounds and Stories with Holly Myers. Take anything with either of them!

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? I’m lactose intolerant so cheese was never an option.

Whom would you like to thank?  My family, my friends, my dogs, the Columbia History Department, Aangan at 103rd, Karim (the owner of the Halal Cart on 115th and Broadway), the Hewitt dining hall employees, Sir Mike the Carman security guard, and everyone else that’s helped me along the way.

One thing to do before graduating: Win Arts & Crafts Trivia Night, go to Prezbo’s house, and visit the Wallach Art Gallery in Manhattanville. I’ve also never been to the Noguchi Museum or seen a performance in Carnegie Hall–message me if you’d like to join.

Any regrets? I wish I had taken a gap year before I came here, read more of the assigned readings, and taken courses in the MESAAS, Creative Writing, and Art History departments.