Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 24, 2024

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.



BOHEMIAN BALTIMORE CC  BY/SA 4.0
This weekend, Perlman was able to explore Baltimore through a retreat.

Taking a day off for an adventure in Baltimore

If your student organization has a retreat, go. Many are scheduled for all day, and at Hopkins, an all-day activity during the weekend immediately induces a heart attack. But you should go. Spending a whole day with people helps you bond with them.


PUBLIC DOMAIN
After four years at Hopkins, Qian feels disillusioned with the field of AI.

Reflecting on the moral qualms surrounding AI

I came to Hopkins in 2016. That year, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) were making waves around the world. It seemed like yesterday when we saw machines like IBM’s Watson triumph over humans. Self-driving cars, AI-augmented medicine and smart cities were among the many applications promised to save millions and bring prosperity to many more.



Finding the beauty in moments of grief

The sun has not been out in days, the rain seems to never stop and the dull ache in your heart is a constant, ceaseless pounding. Letting go is one of the hardest things a human being has to experience, but letting go is probably also the most universally human experience. It is not possible to navigate life without loss or grief — so one day or another we all have to let go of something or someone.


EDA INCEKARA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR 
According to Beaver, Sandler plays the same dumb husband in every movie.

Reflecting on the perpetual cringe of Adam Sandler

In the wake of the Oscars and the incredible wins for Parasite and Reneé Zellweger’s amazing performance in Judy, I decided to take this week to think of some of the worst acting I have seen. A name that comes to mind — and I will stand by this — is Adam Sandler. 


This week's latest "Ask Arden" column answers how to ask your crush.

Ask Arden: Tips on how to ask out your crush

It’s always nerve-wracking to approach your crush, especially when your intentions are to clarify their feelings toward you by asking them out. Ultimately, everybody has their own style, and so, the way that you ask out a specific crush will differ. However, here are some helpful things to consider. 


COURTESY OF ELIZABETH IM
Im looks back on her decision to study abroad in Stockholm this semester.

Reflecting on my first chapter in Stockholm

Last month, I came across a New York Times essay by Ann Napolitano. In her piece, Napolitano shared that she had been writing letters to her future self since the age of 14. Every time Napolitano opened a letter from her past self, she saw how her values and self-understanding evolved over time.


An open letter to survivors of sexual violence

Hello. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. And yet, in the irony of it all, we know each other. We’ve tasted the same agony and we’ve wept the same tears. Our story has consumed both of us like weeds, so much so that it is as if we have lived the same small life. 


PUBLIC DOMAIN
Swistara gives 12 tips to recognize a toxic dynamic with your partner.

Warning signs of an unhealthy relationship

Say you get a promotion at work and, instead of saying, “Congratulations, you deserve this. Let’s celebrate you tonight,” your partner says, “I work just as hard as you do, why haven’t I been promoted?” Not only does this show that your partner does not support you and believe in you, but it also means that, over time, you can internalize these insecurities. 


BRUCEBLAUS / CC By-SA 4.0 
Wilner discusses the sometimes long process of finding the right birth control for everyone.

My mission to find the right birth control for my body

The pros to birth control pills are pretty obvious. Aside from not getting pregnant, the pill promises clearer skin, bigger boobs, predictable periods and the end to cramps. The side effects seem to pale in comparison — the possibility of light spotting between cycles, breast tenderness, fluid retention, nausea and mood changes.


COURTESY OF RUDY MALCOM
News & Features Editor Malcom reflects on the frustrations of flirting with closeted men. 

Looking back on the glass closet from the outside

Let me begin with this: I am not here to out anyone. That said, I sometimes have a thing for closeted men. Maybe it’s the element of forbidden love, maybe it’s self-sabotage, maybe it’s internalized homophobia, maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline. Not to flex, but I found myself kissing one in Uni Mini last spring while waiting for my mozzarella sticks. 



Why Netflix’s Sex Education is so important

As you may know, the Netflix show Sex Education is all the talk these days, and I am one of those disciples who swear by it. Just to clarify, I am not a TV person. I am not even that much of a Netflix kind of gal. What I am, however, is a huge fan of sex education.


MARCO VERCH CC BY 2.0
Guerriero’s decision to go vegan posed many challenges for in interest in the food industry.

Reconciling being vegan with my interest in food

About a year ago, I went vegan*. Consider the rest of this column the explication of that asterisk. At the time, I was working on a Barnstormers production that required baring it all (well, most of it, I guess) onstage. Aside from lifting weights six times a week, biking as often as possible and a few hours a day of choreography, I wanted to cut some calories in an effort to, um, tighten things up.




COURTESY OF SOPHIA LOLA
Lola’s friends played a large role in helping her get through a difficult semester in the fall.

Carving out time and space to reset after a rough last semester

I think we all know how ridiculously annoying it is for a song to be stuck in our heads for days upon days. There was one song last semester, however — one I hadn’t even heard in years — that implanted itself in my brain and refused to leave for a good long while at what was probably exactly the right time.


Staying true to myself in eight semesters abroad

Sometimes it’s as simple as wishing that a pair of shoes that are currently sitting in my closet in Singapore were with me in Baltimore, and sometimes it’s wishing my mom could drive to me in three hours when I’m having a crappy mental day instead of having to travel upwards of 20 hours in cars, planes and trains to get to me.


COURTESY OF KELVIN QIAN
Qian’s Chinese-American identity gives him a unique perspective on Chinese nationalism.

How my views on Chinese nationalism have evolved

Chinese nationalism has been making the news lately. We’ve all seen it in action, whether in the form of giant military parades in Beijing, the National Basketball Association’s expulsion from China over a single tweet or that big Chinese flag that was hung up in Brody.


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