LL has a lot of wisdom to share, even after getting a C+ for 1.5 spacing

Name, School, Major, Hometown:
LL, CC, Urban Studies/History, Wellesley, MA

Claim to fame:
Serving as President of Roosevelt @ Columbia, being friends with mostly Barnard students and Sarah Kinney, and receiving a C on an assignment in Science of Psych for 1.5 spacing instead of 2.0.

Where are you going?
I’ll be working for a startup!

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

  1. Before moving to New York City, sign up for the Skint’s daily newsletter. It’s a list of free and cheap events happening around the city every day. I’ve gone to cool art galleries, comedy shows, and received free food/ice cream on several occasions as a result of checking out their advertised events. Honestly, sign up for it now because they’re doing exceptional quarantine content with online movie screenings, forums, etc.
  2. If you can, intern early. I learned very quickly that professional opportunities had way more to teach me than a lot of my classes, and I’m thankful that I had the chance to try on different careers for a semester at a time. The connections I’ve made and the experiences I’ve collected are well worth all of the early mornings I spent on the subway.
  3. There is a lot of value in showing up. Show up to club meetings, to Columbia-sponsored events, to office hours, to social engagements, to sorority chapter, etc. Far too many people at this school are flakey and have a reputation for being flakey. Don’t let that become a part of your brand, and people will remember you for it. Re: point two, I got an internship at a presidential campaign for showing up to a random forum during NSOP. You’ll never be in the right place at the right time if you don’t leave your dorm room.
    Bonus advice: Go on that Hinge date! I have made a handful of connections with fantastic, interesting people as a result of dating apps. You simply are not going to meet new people organically if you keep going to the same campus bars that everyone goes to.

“Back in my day…”
Amigos was the best spot for a quesadilla. Carman Hall was not renovated and there were no such things as 10-person suites.

Favorite Columbia controversy?
This happened before me but I absolutely loved when a Barnard student hooked up with Rae Sremmurd after Bacchanal and then posted about it in buy sell. Also #BarnardNoAramark, because it was a Roosevelt initiative.

What was your favorite class at Columbia?
Three classes opened my eyes to new ways of thinking and fundamentally changed my worldview: Philosophy and Feminism with Christia Mercer (anyone who’s taken this class will tell you this,) Columbia 1968 with Frank Guridy (but I would recommend ANYTHING with him,) and Introduction to Architecture with Michael Waters (who is the best lecturer I’ve ever had.)

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese?
I’ve never had either. I eat an exclusively plant-based diet and I’m saving myself for marriage.

Whom would you like to thank?
My mom. My friends. The professors who believed in me when I didn’t. Roosevelt.

One thing to do before graduating: Write my final essay for Medieval Science and Society because heaven forbid I let Professor Kaye down.

Any regrets?
Taking Science of Psych (see above.) Just don’t do it, and take astronomy or something instead.