Nevel being here shook us, too.

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Sophie Tobin; Barnard; Sociology; Columbus, OH. 

Claim to fame: Making the CU Swing Dance Club my only personality trait after resurrecting it from its COVID death. Enjoy the fruits of said labor here and here. 

Where are you going? Chicago, where I’ll attend Adler University to pursue an M.A. in couple and family therapy and a certificate in sex therapy! 

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2026? 

1. It’s normal to feel lonely sometimes. 
2. You might not have time to do all the readings or sometimes you might not want to. Read the introduction, the first and last paragraphs of each chapter/section, and the conclusion. Speak up as often as you can when the discussion veers towards what you read. Take careful notes on everything else. 
3. The best ginger beer for mules is Gosling’s. 

“Back in my day…”  Campus wasn’t covered in hideous white tents, you could get soft serve at JJ’s until midnight, and Q House parties were the place to be. 

Favorite Columbia controversy? When students were being carted out on stretchers during a heatwave and Barnard ResLife proposed eating celery as a viable solution. Honorable mention: not necessarily a controversy, but finding out that Nevel Papperman from iCarly is my peer is a memory I will forever cherish. 

What was your favorite class at Columbia? 

Religion, Gender, and Violence with Janet Jakobsen* 

The Social World with Adam Reich 

Intro to WGSS with Rebecca Jordan-Young 

Abnormal Behavior with E’mett McCaskill 

Advanced Topics in Gender and Sexuality with Elizabeth Bernstein 

*Or any class taught by Janet Jakobsen. This woman is a genius and an absolute delight. For this course, she would ask for questions and comments about the readings at the beginning of each class, then proceed to pull an engaging, coherent, thought-provoking lecture out of thin air using the points brought up by students on the spot. I could listen to her explain her grocery list in graphic detail for hours on end and I would be absolutely enthralled. 

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? I have waited four years to answer this question. I think everyone who says they would rather give up cheese either is insane, wants to make sure people know they’re having sex, or is lactose intolerant. Do you know how much cheese I eat? Like, at least once a day. And that’s on a bad day. Giving up cheese would be so much more of a life change than giving up oral sex. There is more than one way to get off, but there is no other way to enjoy pizza, macaroni and cheese, ravioli, and quesadillas. 

Whom would you like to thank? My family, my cat, the multiple professors I’ve cried in front of, the high school guidance counselor who suggested I consider Barnard over Columbia, the dance shoes I’ve been rocking since freshman year, and, of course, my wonderful boyfriend. 

One thing to do before graduating: Fall in love with Columbia M.A. student during the height of a global pandemic, move in together after five months of dating, adopt a cat, and decide to move to an entirely new city together. Highly recommend it. 

Any regrets? Caring too much about hoity-toity academic nonsense, not taking a class in the religion department sooner, and dying my hair bright turquoise during a mental breakdown my freshman year. 

Sophie via Vikakul Photography