Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 21, 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.

COURTESY OF ROWAN LIU Liu reflects on her time at Hopkins, her volunteering experiences with a refugee family and what it means to move forward into a new and unfamiliar space.

Onward and upwards: Helping a refugee family move in

By ROWAN LIU | October 28, 2022

Before the pandemic, I was a freshman still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my time at Hopkins. I was preoccupied with my grades, my resume and being the best I could be.  By the start of spring of 2020, I began to volunteer with the Baltimore chapter of the International Refugee Committee (IRC). I thought it was an excellent activity to get involved in, since I wanted to work with international organizations or the State Department in the future. 

COURTESY OF MOLLY GREEN Green recounts her experiences as a summer camp counselor and the joy of mentoring young campers.

The camp counselor life

By MOLLY GREEN | October 19, 2022

June 6 was the day my summer truly began. At 6:30 I woke up, put on my bathing suit and sweats and drove to my favorite place: work. My coworkers and I greeted each other in the parking lot, blinking away the mist of the early morning as we started our trek down the hill to the beach. 

COURTESY OF MADELYN KYE Kye reflects on the ups and downs of her tumultuous relationship with running.

My relationship with running

By MADELYN KYE | October 19, 2022

I have an on-again, off-again relationship with running. The cycle began when I joined the track and field team in seventh grade. I already played a fall sport and was looking for a way to stay active in the spring. That year I tried out sprinting, hurdles and triple jump; I found myself extremely motivated by the prospect of progress in these various events.

COURTESY OF JACKIE RITTENHOUSE Rittenhouse describes all the memories, rituals and feelings that come with Sunday.

A Sunday kind of love

By JACKIE RITTENHOUSE | October 16, 2022

It’s Sunday, a day made for living slowly, for taking care of yourself and your space and for recharging all of the little aspects of yourself that are expended every other day of the week. It’s Sunday, and I choose to rest.

COURTESY OF MICHELLE LIMPE In anticipation of The News-Letter’s return to print, Limpe and Gahagen discuss the paper’s production history.

Back in black and white

By MICHELLE LIMPE and MOLLY GAHAGEN | October 13, 2022

The return to “normal” has been gradual for all, The News-Letter included. The pandemic forced us to move our print publication, a tradition on campus for over 120 years, to a fully online, daily production with our last print edition published on March 12, 2020.

COURTESY OF ALIZA LI Li discusses her mother’s influence on her decision to pursue writing.

My mother’s hand in my life

By ALIZA LI | October 7, 2022

This past summer, I watched a matinee with my mom every Monday at our local AMC Theater. We picked our movies almost arbitrarily. One week an indie film about a slow-burn romance set in foggy London. The next a major action blockbuster (think: Yakuza and locomotives) upon which my mother — who usually prefers drama over action — awarded the glowing review of not bad.

COURTESY OF SUDHA YADAV Feeling the effects of burnout, Yadav adjusts her mindset on breaks and takes life one day at a time.

Breaking the habit of not taking a break

By SUDHA YADAV | October 4, 2022

Looking back at 21-year-old Sudha, I always used to be in so much of a rush. With everything I did — whether it was academics, research or even hobbies — I wanted to be the best. But now that I’m in graduate school, with almost the exact same schedule every day, I have begun to feel like my progress is plateauing. 

COURTESY OF JAMIE KIM Recounting her decision to take a break from school, Kim emphasizes the importance of healthy, restful living.

Letter to myself: surviving as a returning student

By JAMIE KIM | September 30, 2022

The struggle is real. I never thought I’d find myself in a situation where I would be “a returning student.” But here I am, proud of the leap of faith I took to come back but also feeling wildly out of place. No one would be able to tell what kind of student I am, and frankly no one should care, but my own intrusive thoughts tell me that I stick out like a sore thumb. 

COURTESY OF MICHELLE LIMPE Limpe emphasizes the importance of trying new things as she reminisces on her summer in California.

A summer spent chasing sunsets and changing mindsets

By MICHELLE LIMPE | September 29, 2022

At the beginning of my summer, this is what I had attributed my opportunity to live and intern in California to — luck. My experiences over the past summer were never something that I had considered for my personal plan nor were they a possibility that I thought could be on my radar. But when I received the call from my recruiter during spring break, I knew it was something that I had to take. 

COURTESY OF JULIA ZACHARSKI After spending her first summer away from home, Zacharski reflects on the memories of her time exploring Baltimore.

My summer away from home

By JULIA ZACHARSKI | September 28, 2022

Somehow, summer is yet again gone and a new school year has begun. By the end of every August, I am typically itching to return to school. Although I cherish the long summer nights and new daily adventures, I always end up missing the structured routine I have at school. But this summer was a little different.

COURTESY OF AASHI MENDPARA Encouraged by a social media campaign supporting diverse beauty, Mendpara learns to be comfortable in her own skin.

Unfair and lovely and everything in between

By AASHI MENDPARA | September 25, 2022

My absolute favorite ‘first day of school' activity was drawing self-portraits. Nothing beats the freedom to scrub down crayons to the stub and draw your favorite outfits and accessories, all for the teacher to hang them up in the hallway. 

DUSTIN HUMES / UNSPLASH As he enters senior year, Paulisich reflects on his choice to pursue his passions, regardless of the risk.

Renegade bee

By CHRISTIAN PAULISICH | September 23, 2022

Have you ever heard song lyrics so true you felt like the artist stole them from your soul? I feel this when I hear Taylor Swift’s “Nothing New.” The lyrics, “How can a person know everything at 18 / and nothing at 22?” an anthem for my college career. 

Why I need to space out

By SOPHIA PARK | September 22, 2022

Recently, I have been faced with a heavy onset of self-doubt. The excitement that typically precedes the beginning of a new semester has been replaced with worry. Although I have always been somewhat of a worry-wart — the easily stressed out, Type A kind of person — this time my anxiety seems rooted in someplace entirely new.

COURTESY OF MADELYN KYE Despite a shaky start to their friendship, Kye and her foster cat, Tippy, have grown close.

Fostering Tippy Montana

By MADELYN KYE | September 17, 2022

I picked up my first foster cat, Tippy Montana, from the Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) nearly three weeks ago. I didn’t know much about Tippy when I agreed to foster him, just that he was thirteen years old, a tabby cat and that he was extremely depressed in the shelter.

COURTESY OF MIN-SEO KIM After reconsidering his true feelings for being a pre-med student, Kim takes a leap of faith and explores new paths.

Confessions of a former Hopkins pre-med

By MIN-SEO KIM | September 15, 2022

Like many Hopkins students, I entered as a pre-med student, with visions of myself as a great and famous doctor captivating my eyes and echoes of accolades ringing in my ears. I thought for sure that medicine was the career path for me and that no obstacle or setback would stop me. 

COURTESY OF GABRIEL LESSER Lesser considers his nostalgia for campus life as he prepares for a semester abroad.

Saying goodbye to Hopkins for now

By GABRIEL LESSER | September 15, 2022

Three hours and 36 minutes. Three hours and 36 minutes, that is, with no traffic, no stops for gas and no wrong turns. That’s the amount of time it takes for me to drive from my home in New York to campus, or at least that’s what the GPS tells me.

COURTESY OF DIKSHA IYER The loss of a beloved flatbread shop is just one of the many changes Iyer and Salem are navigating as they enter sophomore year.

Mourning the Mediterranean flatbread

By DIKSHA IYER and LAURA SALEM | September 8, 2022

Upon arriving on campus, we have not been able to ignore the void where the Crepe Studio once stood. Our favorite triple threat Daniel with his delicious crepes, flatbreads and sandwiches is missing from our campus. The Crepe Studio’s absence tugs at our heartstrings. 

COURTESY OF JACKIE RITTENHOUSE Through her experiences leading a pre-orientation program, Rittenhouse looks back on the changes and constants of her past four years at college.

Three years later...

By JACKIE RITTENHOUSE | September 6, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed numerous things since it first shut down Hopkins in March 2020. One of those many things has been the outdoors program at Hopkins, a program I am proud to be a member of.

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