Ade Balogun thinks that you should ask out your crush, but most importantly, that you should go vegetarian.

Name, School, Major, Hometown:
Ade Balogun, SEAS, Environmental Engineering, Metuchen, New Jersey bb

Claim to fame:
I was surgeon number #1 in A Doll’s House: Part IV, LateNite Anthology Fall 2019.

Where are you going?
I’ll be heading to Imperial College London for a Master’s! Hopefully right back to New York after that.

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2024?

  1. Sometimes the best experiences of your time at Columbia will come from taking opportunities outside your comfort zone. If the outcome of a sort of random opportunity feels uncertain, maybe take it? Those are usually the adventures! Could be fun…
  2. Try to approach the things you do on campus with some vision of what they could be. Those goals make college so much more exciting!
  3. Invest yourself in the student communities around you, whether that’s your dorm, core class, club, NSOP group, the list could go on forever. Columbia is hard to do alone, and having reliable friends makes it so much easier. And fun :)
  4. Can I say four? Go vegetarian! It’s good for the environment!

“Back in my day…” 
Amigos Tuesdays were the bridge between Monday and the weekend. Cascabel Taqueria was the best place to eat. Hot take. The quality of Bacchanal was contentious (maybe that’ll stay true).

Favorite Columbia controversy?
Milk shaming. I’ll admit it—I made fun of my suitemate Jacob for drinking milk… but I secretly love it.

What was your favorite class at Columbia?
I loved Intro to East Asian Buddhism. Michael Como is a fantastic lecturer and such a kind person. Would also love to shout out my TA Kripanand Komanapalli for making recitation a similarly great experience. And Gus and James for sharing those experiences with me!

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese?
:-0! Well you can’t have cheese and crackers without cheese for your crackers… There’s your answer I guess.

Whom would you like to thank?
I’m really grateful to my family for supporting me through Columbia. My friends for filling my college experience with incredible memories. COÖP and my leaders for making my transition to college something to be excited for rather than afraid of. The lauded Beyond Sausage—shout out to William from John Jay Dining and my accomplice, Jake Naimark.

And of course, the Academies.

One thing to do before graduating:
Do something out of your comfort zone! Start a blog! Try acting! Ask out a crush! Time on campus is rich with so much opportunity. Do things that make you happy and remember to let people in.

Any regrets?
I wish I auditioned for Sabor. Also wish I went to subway party…

Ade Balogun via Ade