Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
September 19, 2026 September 19, 2026 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Voices

Hopkins is a diverse university where an incredible mix of cultures, academic interests and personalities coexist and thrive. Here is the section where you can publish your unique thoughts, ideas and perspectives on life at Hopkins and beyond.

COURTESY OF HARMONY LIU Liu learns to think more positively after a streak of bad luck.

Unlucky

By HARMONY LIU | April 17, 2026

Two weeks ago, I had an incredible stroke of bad luck. Nothing was ever that serious, but minor inconveniences and unfortunate happenings followed me around like a fever I couldn’t shake.

COURTESY OF GRACE WANG Wang narrates the lead up to her neuroscience exam.

Before the Cells exam

By GRACE WANG | April 17, 2026

The night before a Cells exam never fails to remind me of how little I feel like I know. No matter how many hours I have spent reviewing, tracing pathways, being able to recall the text on the slides by just looking at the title, the moment I start working through the backtests and study questions, everything seems to fall apart.

COURTESY OF SHREYA TIWARI Tiwari makes her case for bringing back "big talk."

Bring back big talk: more than empty words

By SHREYA TIWARI | April 17, 2026

I despise small talk. And it’s all over social media, too. When did it become necessary for “friends” I haven’t spoken to in years to flood my comments section with “gorgggg,” or “you’re so adorable” or “marry me pls.” I don’t really want to marry you, random stranger whose Instagram handle I barely recognize.

COURTESY OF SAMIKA JAIN Jain writes on her passion for research and how it's endured, despite pre-med pressures.

What fall semester (almost) stole from me

By SAMIKA JAIN | April 16, 2026

I’ve been thinking about my arrival at Hopkins a lot, especially because my amazing academic advisor Christine sent me an email talking about the big decision I will have to make soon: declaring my major.

COURTESY OF STEVE WANG Wang recounts an evening drive in his hometown.

An after party with you

By STEVE WANG | April 16, 2026

I guess I really wasn't going to ever see you again. Everything is different; I live in a different world now. Baltimore is a different world.

COURTESY OF AMELIA TAYLOR Taylor explores her new hobby of taking long walks.

Long walks

By AMELIA TAYLOR | April 15, 2026

I’ve spent too many years huffing and puffing up small flights of stairs. I wouldn’t know my way around a gym, so to spare myself some embarrassment and get in shape, I’ve decided to start taking long walks instead.

COURTESY OF SAREENA NAGAGAND To answer the ubiquitous question of how to make friends in college, Naganand breaks it down into five steps.

Friendship 101: College edition

By SAREENA NAGANAND | April 15, 2026

Yet, as the semester went on, all these initial promises of friendship began to fade. I’ve always heard that college is a chance to “find our people” and cultivate “lifelong friendships,” but I wasn’t sure how that happened. 

COURTESY OF JASON CHANG Chang makes his case for digital dieting.

Going on a (media) diet

By JASON CHANG | April 15, 2026

Recently, however, I came to a realization: if I am so careful about what feeds into my body, why don’t I exercise the same selectivity for what feeds into my mind?

COURTESY OF HAILEY FINKELSTEIN Finkelstein reflects on her time in APTT, the peer listening group for the undergraduate community.

Fourteen hours: A reflection on time spent outside of myself

By HAILEY FINKELSTEIN | April 14, 2026

For those who aren’t familiar with the term, giving a “lifeline” refers to telling someone your entire life story, from beginning to end, and it is how we kick off every semester of APTT training: by sharing whatever feels important to us about our lives with the members of our small training group.

COURTESY OF HAILEY FINKELSTEIN In Paris, Finkelstein contemplates the many different shapes of love.

Renoir in Paris: On love and friendship

By HAILEY FINKELSTEIN | April 13, 2026

After a very busy half-semester of rewatching all of Bridgerton and Emily in Paris while studying for my organic chemistry midterms (I am only half-kidding), I got to spend a glorious nine-and-a-half days frolicking around London and Paris with two of my best friends and my mom.

COURTESY OF KAITLIN TAN Tan thinks on what it means to be present.

On presence

By KAITLIN TAN | April 8, 2026

Presence is such an elusive thing. It should be there under any circumstance, except we know that it isn’t.

COURTESY OF SYDNOR DUFFY Jean Henry pens his legacy letter with the help of Omkar Katkade.

Letters Without Limits: Jean Henry

By OMKAR KATKADE | April 8, 2026

It was a pleasure speaking to Mrs. Henry. She has a unique message to tell, because she wanted to teach the world about some of the harder parts of the past, not just the good. When you think about it, we really have come a long way. Even when times seem hard now, her message gives me hope for a better future.

COURTESY OF LINDA HUANG Huang reflects on aging as she stands on the cusp of 20.

What it feels like being stuck between 18 and 20

By LINDA HUANG | April 5, 2026

19 is such a “middle child.” You’re past that initial excitement you had at 18 of technically being an adult, but you’re also still mentally a teen because your age doesn’t start with a 2. Yes, I’m turning 20 in about three months, and it feels very strange, but let this piece be something I can look back on years into the future.

COURTESY OF KAITLIN TAN Tan tries to find the words for what her mother means to her.

Where words will fail me

By KAITLIN TAN | April 5, 2026

I’ve been wanting to write an article for my mom, but never know where to start. An anecdote would be reductionist. A compliment would feel flattening. Any rendering would be static — and maybe that’s at the heart of it, that writing commits something to paper and necessarily asks us to draw pieces together into a neat picture.

COURTESY OF KATHRYN JUNG Jung reflects on ads, relationships and other things that change with the seasons.

Algorithms of spring: ads, love and language

By KATHRYN JUNG | April 1, 2026

In early spring, advertisements for dating apps start appearing everywhere. They promise efficiency. Compatibility percentages. Personality models. They reassure you that somewhere inside a black-box algorithm, someone has already calculated who could love you best.

COURTESY OF VIDHI BANSAL Bansal writes an update to her first Voices piece "Between doubt and doing."

Between doubt and doing: an updated edition

By VIDHI BANSAL | March 30, 2026

While brainstorming for my first Voices article this semester, I found myself rereading the pieces I wrote when college was still new enough to feel like something from a movie. One line from the first article I ever wrote stopped me: “I entered college believing in my ability to create and reinvent myself.”

COURTESY OF CRYSTAL WANG Wang reflects on her relationship with the piano.

Plastic keyboards and different kinds of farewell

By CRYSTAL WANG | March 25, 2026

Twenty is a decidedly consequential number by convention. It marks two decades of time on earth, which means that by now, I must have collected a lot of important things that offer me instructions on how to live, and that these things must make me more differentiated, more intelligent and more sensible.

COURTESY OF NAOMI MAO Mao reports on her findings from asking the Hopkins community: What does love mean to you?

What is love?

By NAOMI MAO | March 24, 2026

Take a look at this laundry list of notes on love. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

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