Advice straight from the Barnard Bricktim.

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Nikita Nambiar, Barnard, Neuroscience and Behavior!!! Bangalore, India (yayayyyy!!)

Claim to fame: I used to be a Deputy Editor at Bwog—and when I wasn’t busy editing, I was living a secret double life as the infamous Barnard Bricktim (I can hear ur gasps). Yes, it’s true… I was the soul struck by a brick outside Milano Market and I’ve processed the event enough to be able to engage in conversation about it now.

Where are you going? A 24 hour plane ride back to Bangalore to hang out with my two dogs, annoy my parents and nag my sister. If I have time after doing all that, who knows, I might find myself back in NYC :)

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

1. Take a moment to be still. There’s a quiet beauty in surviving what feels like the darkest chapter of your life—believe me, I’ve known a few—and then, slowly, seeing the shape of your pain, understanding its lessons, and carrying its wisdom forward.
2. Spend time with your friends—hold them close while you can. Four years slip by faster than you’ll ever believe, and in the end, it won’t be the grades or the deadlines you remember, but the late night talks, the shared silences, the laughter echoing down dorm hallways. Life will only grow louder and more complicated from here. So take the hour. Make the call. Sit in the sun together. These small moments are the ones that will last.
3. Wear your coat when it’s cold out. Don’t be stupid. Wear the coat.

“Back in my day…” I had to be careful not to bump into the crazy year of science DNA helix glass sculpture. Not sure where she ended up, but RIP to her fragile, swirly soul.

Favorite Columbia lore? Columbia is home to the oldest computer music center. It’s a little bit uptown but we can take classes there which is super sick!!! The building is definitely dingy but they have essentially anything you could need to get your creative juices flowing.

What was your favorite class at Columbia? This is a tough choice since I’ve intentionally chosen classes that genuinely interested me. That said, two of my favorites were Early 20th Century American Performance Culture with Professor Pamela Cobrin and Translational Models of Neuropsychiatric Disorders with Professor Kevin Bath.

Whom would you like to thank? Cue the waterworks, right? I’m only here because of so many people and an overwhelming amount of love and support. To my parents—thank you for answering my calls at the most random hours, whether I was confessing that I ignored your advice and broke my leg, or just showing off an outfit (even though, let’s be honest, I wear the same thing every day). Amma and Acha, you’ve been the bedrock of everything I’ve achieved here. And Tamanna, you give me so much purpose—being your sister is one of my greatest joys. And of course, I can’t forget my sweet puppies, Emma and Cleo. They may never know what’s going on, but every time I’m home, it’s just me and my girls—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What I’m most grateful for is the incredible community I’ve found here. I truly admire so many people at Barnard—too many to name—but I need to shout out the seven wonderful weirdos who’ve stuck with me since day one: Christine, Sofie, Sophie, Theo, Charlotte, Frances, and Eliana.

Christine, you shushed me at NSOP and somehow that was the start of a beautiful friendship that proved to me that we are cut from the same cloth. Sofie, our bond began with an awkward Instagram DM and remains delightfully awkward—I’m watching you dance with chicken flavored potato sticks as I write this. Sophie, we’ve had the strangest adventures and I wouldn’t trade them for the world; you are my forever summer adventure buddy. Theo—I’m convinced we would have found each other in any timeline. You’re a relentless little gremlin, but you’re my relentless little gremlin, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Charlotte, you’re my moral compass—I don’t know what I’d do without your steady wisdom and I’m truly going to miss our sleepy little morning chats. Frances, being your friend is just easy; you’ve helped me feel more at home in myself. And Eliana, I adore your can-do energy and unstoppable drive. To the friends I’ve found along the way—Kaeon and Steven—you’ve both shown me what real loyalty and compassion look like. You’re each wonderfully quirky in your own unique ways, and I honestly wouldn’t change a thing about you. I feel lucky to know you, and I can’t wait to see everything you’ll go on to do. I don’t know what brought us all together, but I’m so glad it did.

One thing to do before graduating? Go to Mala Town hot pot one more time this week. Sure this will be my third time this week but I’m craving fishballs rn… I can’t even lie.

Any regrets? Almost every outfit I wore freshman year.

Nikki via Nikki