Silence and complacency kills the spirit!

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Duan, BARNARD!!!!, Computer Science with an urban planning track, Doylestown PA (best small town culture scene in the USA)

Claim to fame: My face is on a mural in Chinatown, starting an Asian/American arts & zine collective with my friends during the last year of undergrad, organizing a teach-in for the departmentalization of CSER with a few of the original student protestors (and Nami Weatherby, Junie Bedayn, Menasha Thomas, CSER Student Advisory Board, AZINE crew, folks from WBAR + student workers solidarity), painting giant tigers for my Hewitt 5 residents, being the top recruiter for CU lion dance, always offering my friends a swipe, falling asleep in class, having the best taste <3

Where are you going? To a period of my life where I hopefully have more free time, a set routine, and money. Towards the goal of owning a home :)

What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2027?

1. I knew of this going in, but my time here has made me add some nuance…everything is a choice, but sometimes you are in the wrong environment and it’s no longer about any individual action you take. To clarify, this doesn’t exclude taking accountability, but recognizing that there are some things out of your control. Be gentle with yourself
2. Walk away from people and communities who only tolerate you. Literally do not give your care for friends who won’t treat you with the same honesty or respect. I tried for an entire year (and then some) to communicate to people who did not have the decency to use their words (a gift and responsibility that we have as people!) to meet me where I was coming from, and it caused me a lot of pain… but my past self could have definitely done better. Everyone deserves compassion and understanding, but you don’t have to do that for people who are cruel to you
3. Utilize the services at this university. They’re free, within walking distance, and are here to support you. Maybe this is my inner RA speaking, but you really don’t have to go through huge life events and transitions alone. Many of these offices have drop-in hours. Use them!!!! Try out therapy to see if you like it. If finances are a worry, you can try and request some support through the university or find affordable options.
4. Depression is REAL! The mental can ail! Your mind and body are connected and you need to take care of both!
5. You have to advocate for yourself and other people. Silence and complacency kills the spirit. There will be people who are bad listeners, those who benefit from not letting you speak, and insecure liars–believe in your perspective.
6. Always challenge authority and the status quo, especially if they’re your fellow students. Power can change people (even on student leadership boards!) and there’s no reason why you have to put up with their bull.
7. The teach-in reinforced this, but there is a four-year cycle here at Columbia that puts students at a disadvantage when it comes to changing the university. We have to do the work now in order to make it better for those that come in the future, as it had been done by those before us. Part of that means passing down the knowledge that has been accumulated at the end of the four years here. I have a lot of thoughts about community-building. Join azine~!

“Back in my day…”

There were more genuine communities on campus with people who gave a damn

Favorite Columbia controversy?

There are many hidden ways that this school perpetuates elitism and stretches everyone a little too thin. Unsurprisingly, systematic inequalities don’t disappear from this university, even as we learn and talk about them in our classes. Theory does not equal practice. Be conscientious when you are in a leadership position – privilege will continue to exist among your peers, so work at creating spaces where more people feel comfortable speaking. Get involved in Housing Equity Project, Matriculate, Student Worker Solidarity, CSER Student Advisory Board, volunteering organizations, the soup kitchens around the area, redistribute the wealth and privilege you get as a Columbia University student, etc. Sign this petition to save the Red Balloon Preschool.

What was your favorite class at Columbia?

• Constitutional Challenges with Elizabeth Ouyang: Changed my life. She made more of an impact on me than she thinks. Really, really reinforced my values. Because of civil rights attorneys like her, affordable action has made universities a more equitable and diverse place. That might change with the Supreme Court decision this summer and that is a travesty. There is much injustice in this world, but it is possible to fight for a better place, even if it is incrementally. I wish I was a better student in this class, but after churning through too many consecutive semesters of college, I am thoroughly burnt out

• UI/UX with Lydia Chilton: probably the best CS professor at Columbia, very kind, very good at teaching useful skills

• The Ancient Table – the Archeology of Cooking with Camilla Sturm: I love thinking about food in society and Professor Sturm is incredibly sweet. You get to make a wonderful ancient dish!

• Indigenous Place-Thought with Severin Fowles: Sev does such important work and cares deeply about the things that matter. Masterful with language. Did you know we’re from the same hometown?

• Walt Whitman in New York City with Karen Karbiener: if you are looking for a summer class, this one is it! Karen is the president of the Walt Whitman Initiative and is connected to many different parts of the city. Her deep passion and kindness are inspiring

• Art of the Essay with Sasha Bonet: Gave me much language and confidence in telling my own story, at a time I needed it the most. Professor Bonet really knows herself

• FYS: Absorption in Visual Media with Andrew Lynn: I loved this class to bits in my first year. Professor Lynn is a very soothing presence

• Short Films with Breixo Viejo: He’s leaving because Barnard is being stingy with their funds, but the man just really loves films. A genuine joy to hear him speak!

• The dance classes at Barnard! Notably Afro-Cuban Dance with Rebecca Bliss, who embodies something powerful

Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? Have you had the Prosciutto Bruschetta sandwich at Milano’s?

Whom would you like to thank?

So many people. Had there been less kindness, I would not have made it here. Huge thank you to Debbie from facilities in the Barnard library – love you lots, best mom away from home. Appreciations for the people in the support services at Barnard for coming in clutch at a time I needed it the most. Thank you to my professors who were compassionate and nurturers, rather than just educators. I’m writing this kind of on the fly and don’t want to leave anyone out–thank you to all the real ones, the people who have listened, those who have shed tears with me, the friends who aren’t afraid to be themselves and inspire me to do the same. You know who you are. Thank you thank you thank you

One thing to do before graduating:

During the pandemic, I saw Youngweon Lee’s wisdom, which referenced Omar Abboud’s wisdom: “Before you graduate, rent a Zipcar (or if you don’t drive take a friend who does). Leave Columbia no earlier than 1:00am. Take the Westside highway all the way down the island. Get off at TriBeCa and pick up candy by the courthouses. Drive across the Brooklyn Bridge. Veer to the right on the first exit and drive towards Grimaldi’s. Take the first left onto the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Once again take the first exit on the right towards Atlantic Avenue. When you turn right onto Atlantic from Columbia St. you’ll see an immediate sharp left turn back onto the highway towards Manhattan: take it. Before you will be the best view of New York City you might ever see on open, lonely roads. Put on “Choir to the Wild” by Solomon Grey. Appreciate and never forget the sublimity of that moment.” Thought to keep the chain going. I don’t think I will have time to actually follow through, but hopefully, someone else will. In the meantime, I just want to spend time with as many good friends before we are all scattered with the winds.

Any regrets?
I wish I had a cool, flippant answer about not believing in regrets. But I don’t. Honestly, I spent so much of the last four years regretting and beating myself up over it. Not having consistent mentors or older people who could guide me in the right direction (am I not cute enough to be adopted?), not taking a language consistently, having non-confrontational friends, not standing up for myself, and not being able to focus as much on being a student as I wanted to (thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and its many aftereffects ). This time is precious! I’m glad that at least I was able to finally write a Bwog senior wisdom ;D

Portrait via Duan