Say hi to the statues!

Name, School, Major, Hometown: Melañia Horowitz; CC; Theatre. Depending on the day and who I’m talking to, my hometown is either Seattle, Washington or Los Angeles, California — both are true.

Claim to fame: I do fight choreography! Otherwise, though, I’ve been a Poomsae Captain at Columbia University Taekwondo since the second semester of my freshman year (Spring ‘23), just completed a thesis in Directing; acted a lot, danced a little, sang a teeny bit. You might know me best as that one Silent Character with an Intimidating Presence from any theatre production here, or simply as that one dude who was brutally stage-fighting another dude in front of the John Jay quad every day for a week in April 2025.

Where are you going? This is the only time in my life I’ve voluntarily thought of making a Cotton-Eyed Joe reference. Tomorrow is a mystery… probably staying in the city, though.

What are three things you learned at Columbia and would like to share with the Class of 2030?

1. Bring a fan with you for your dorm, if you can. Or more than one. They are so multipurpose it is ridiculous.
2. If you have an impulse to try something, do it! This is the perfect time to experiment and who knows, you might find a new passion or hobby, or make a new friend. That being said, there is such a thing as doing too much of literally anything, even the activities you love most. It’s not a bad thing to say ‘no’ sometimes!
3. Say hi to the statues around campus when you can! 

“Back in my day…” There was a guy who would walk his Borzois around campus all the time, before they closed the gates. I’d always see them by John Jay, playing in one of the little laws. They were so freaking cute, and I still miss them. Also, back in my day, my sister (shoutout Mila Horowitz) wasn’t roaming campus like the most glamorous cryptid you’ve ever seen.

What was your favorite class at Columbia? Ohhhh my gosh. So many options. All the classes for my major were really fun – I actually quite liked all the Core classes as well. 

Whom would you like to thank? My Mom, Dad, and sister, my grandparents, my friends. My professors, Columbia and Barnard campus staff. And thank you to all the francophone security desk workers who would speak French with me!

One thing to do before graduating? Finish Moby-Dick. I’m 320 pages in with another 305 to go, which is more than manageable.

Any regrets? Not going to more RA programs. I’ve always been busy during most of them, but you know, they work hard on those, and they’re usually a great time.