The East Asian Library may be gone, but it will never be forgotten.

Name, School, Major, Hometown:

Ethan R, Civil Engineering, Naperville, IL

Claim to fame:

My Instagram handle (@blackieeechan)

Where are you going?

Master’s in Transportation at MIT

What are three things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2029?

  1. The libraries are cool and cute, but overrated IMO. Find a local cafe or public library you love to study in. Sometimes a little escape from campus is needed.
  1. Take a chance on everything. Talk to that person you want to become friends with, email that professor you want to research or chat with, go out even if you don’t have a destination in mind. Life is too short to be scared.
  1. Fuck slow burn romances, just ask them out.

“Back in my day…”

You needed to wear a mask indoors at all times. Dining halls were take-out only. You couldn’t sign guests into your dorm, not even Barnard students. We were banned from visiting each other’s dorms for a few months. We had more than one semester’s finals moved online, for different reasons. East Asian Library *existed*. New Amsterdam was a good choice. AP was required for the CS minor. Bacchanal was at Terminal 5. $2.75 MTA. There was a normal lounge in Wallach. My floor was carpeted.

Favorite Columbia lore?

The tunnels. I personally know absolutely nothing about them and have never ever ever ever been. They might not even exist! But do some *legal* snooping around…

What was your favorite class at Columbia?

Urban Infrastructure Systems—Even if you’re not an engineer, it’s great to learn the technical aspects that go into city planning and construction, both big and small. 

Whom would you like to thank?

All the people who made a difference in my life, from my best friends to the people I never talked to but still waved at on campus. Every character added a splash of color to my life. Also, the other CivEs, trauma bonding is the best <3

One thing to do before graduating?

Make amends with people. Why carry bad energy around with you.

Any regrets?

Dating apps. Don’t use dating apps, just don’t. Never download them, don’t even look at them.

Photo via Ethan R