Here are a few things Gurnoor Tucker, star of WBAR and CU Dems, has learned through his time here at Columbia.
Name, School, Major, Hometown: Gurnoor Tucker, Columbia College, History and Financial Economics, Edison NJ
Claim to Fame: Bhangra, Sewa, Dems, Studying for the Midterms w/ Ben and Gurnoor (s/o WBAR), my dog Georgie, and submitting papers late w/out getting penalized.
Where are you going: Staying in the city to work in infrastructure investing, but not sure what I’ll do after that! Let me know if you have any tips.
What are 3 things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2022?
1. Surround yourself with people who lift you up– no time for #FakeLove real ones only. You’re gonna meet a lot of people at this university and it’s really easy to get lost among multiple social circles. Make sure that you give enough time to people who are there for you– those are the ones who you’ll be able to call lifelong friends.
2. Don’t let your surroundings intimidate you. You probably killed it in high school and you should always be proud of that or of whatever else fuels your confidence. When you come here, you’re surrounded with so many talented, intelligent, and overall incredible human beings. And when you come here, it might be really easy to panic at seeing everyone around you succeeding these wild feats, but that’s not constructive at all. And that’s just not what good humans do. We have to lift up and celebrate each other rather than be afraid of each other. There isn’t a single path on how to succeed. There isn’t a single definition of intelligence. Don’t act in response to what everyone else around you is doing. Devote your time and energy to things you love.
3. For more activist-oriented kiddies– The world, this country, our cities, and our own communities have more problems than we can count. And so many of us are fierce in tackling these individual problems. But we need not look far to carry out change. Sometimes the most significant impact we can make is on the people who have been there all along. Focus on compassion from the bottom-up. We love not because of change, we change because we love.
“Back in my day…” Kanye wasn’t letting us down and Obama was president.
Justify your existence in 30 words or fewer: Lmao repeal the PATRIOT Act
What was your favorite class at Columbia? Frontiers of Science had a profound impact on m— lmao jk I could choose any of the 9 history courses I took for my major, but I also had a great experience in Contemporary Civilization (CC). Really contextualized my beliefs by providing a philosophical foundation for them.
Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese? One gets better with age, the other one is cheese.
Whom would you like to thank? All the workers at Columbia (facilities, maintenance, dining staff, public safety, grad student workers) who behind the scenes kept me safe, educated, sane, and fed. And my parents, sister, and dog. And Leon, the bouncer at Amity.
One thing to do before graduating: Spend time with my friends who won’t be in the city after grad– you know who you are!
Any regrets? Taking 15 courses for financial economics when I could have studied something more useful. Study what you love kids.
Image via Gurnoor Tucker