Until the class of 2012 up and leaves us, BlogDH wants to highlight all the interesting things the class has been up to. Each featured senior will tag another senior for the next installment. Find this year’s other “Last Call” chain here.

Then + Now

People might know me as… People definitely know me as a Sigma Chi bro. I think (really hope) that people who get to know me find there is a different side to me, but Sigma is a label that I carry with me.

Gabe’s Question: What’s your go-to meal on College Hill? One of my favorite things about Providence is the food, so this is a tough question, Gabe. Undoubtedly though, my go-to meal is Haruki Express. In fact, it is possible that I single-handedly have put the Haruki children through college because I go there so often. “Ruks,” as my friends and I affectionately call it, is a good, quick meal that is consistent. After seeing Jiro Dreams of Sushi last week at the Avon, I was reminded that Haruki may not be a world-class eating establishment, but I love what it brings to the table nonetheless.

What is the greatest lesson you learned through your time in Sigma Chi? I mastered the skill of wearing pastel colors and backward hats… But seriously, I learned a lot about conflict resolution and how to work with others. Any time you are part of an organization of more than 100 people, differences of opinions are going to come up. Learning how to talk through those successfully was a big lesson for me to hold onto when moving forward. [Read more →]

As the semester progresses at the speed of light, the senior class is beginning to make peace with that fateful day in May: Commencement. Until the class of 2012 up and leaves us, BlogDH wants to highlight all the interesting things the class has been up to. To this end, we are (re)starting a series, Last Call, featuring seniors reflecting on their experiences at Brown. Each featured senior will tag another senior for the next installment. Find this year’s other “Last Call” chain here.

Then + Now

People might know me as… the dude interviewing a Red Sox player in those posters in front of the treadmills in the Keeney and Pembroke gyms.

Mark’s Question: A day with Ruth Simmons, what do you do? I’m just gonna go ahead and assume that Ruth has her own private jet, and then, in no particular order: hit up a theme park, check out Mount Rushmore, play H.O.R.S.E. with her and Obama, go scuba diving, catch up on all the Corporation gossip, and make it back in time to watch the sunset from Prospect Park.

You were GM of WBRU, a student-run radio station. What was the coolest part of your job? I feel like not many Brown students really know too much about WBRU, so I’ll just do a brief overview first. We’re a student-run, independent commercial radio station that is completely funded by revenue received from advertisements, which are sold by a full-time professional sales team. Only students are allowed on the air, but we have eight professional employees who help us with various functions, including an engineer, accountant, and Program Director. We have about 250,000 listeners across Southern New England and a multi-million dollar budget. Along with the student Station Manager, Max Ashby, I was responsible for overseeing the entire operation, including the student and professional staffs.

I really can’t even begin to describe all the incredible opportunities BRU affords its student volunteers, but I’d strongly encourage you to read about a few of them here. Everyone who contributed to that list had an “aha moment,” in which they said to themselves, “How the hell am I allowed to be doing this right now?” I had my share of those moments, from interviewing my hero, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, to conceiving, planning, and MCing WBRU’s 75^th anniversary celebration last year, in which I got to accept a certificate from Mayor Taveras on behalf of the station. All that aside, I’d still have to say that the coolest part of being GM was witnessing and occasionally facilitating moments like those for so many BRU students (and listeners) and getting to watch their faces as they met their own childhood idols. That never gets old.

What is the hardest part of your job? I don’t think any 20 year old can possibly be prepared for the responsibility of overseeing an organization on the scale of BRU, let alone while simultaneously trying to be a full-time student. [Read more →]

As the semester progresses at the speed of light, the senior class is beginning to make peace with that fateful day in May: Commencement. Until the class of 2012 up and leaves us, BlogDH wants to highlight all the interesting things the class has been up to. To this end, we are (re)starting a series, Last Call, featuring seniors reflecting on their experiences at Brown. Each featured senior will tag another senior for the next installment. Find this year’s other “Last Call” chain here.

Then + Now

People might know me as… a coordinator of Brown Science Prep or that creepy Neuro dude with a beard that already somehow knows too much about you.

Ralanda’s Question: Brown Bares, Spotted at Brown or Brown FML? Is this even a question? Brown Bares, hands down. Expression at its finest. Although I guess Brown FML is a great source for first world problems.

How did you get involved with SciencePrep? I’ve always enjoyed science and teaching, so I decided to join BSP freshman year. Junior year, I became a coordinator of the program because I loved it so much. It’s been a phenomenal experience. Probably my most rewarding one at Brown. There is something extremely beautiful in seeing a student finally grasp an idea, that “Aha!” moment, and this realization that comes with it: “Yes, I can do this. I am capable of something.” Honestly, I love the idea of mentoring, not necessarily teaching facts, but rather empowering people and making them realize we’re on the same level. I don’t treat the high schoolers like students, but rather friends. And this is powerful. People don’t realize the huge impact you can have with words; a simple friendly conversation telling someone they are capable of anything really is enough to make a difference. I have a potential within me to create — to tell a story — and you have that same potential. If I want anything out of this life, it’s to make others realize this potential, discover a passion, and have fun telling their story. We should all being do this. Get out there and mentor someone.

What is your favorite experiment to do? In life or BSP? Probably mixing Mentos and coke. It’s exciting and pretty much sums up basic experimentation: What happens when I mix these two things?

Why neuroscience? I think we’re all striving to understand ourselves in one way or another. For me, science has been an incredible avenue for that. Physics and chemistry can explain the natural world — biology, the human body, amongst other things. I find it incredibly beautiful that we can ask these questions and then through simple, elegant experimentation derive answers. Neuroscience fascinates me because, in many ways, it’s the final frontier into understanding who we are. How does my brain produce a sense of self? What governs our behaviors? At the same time, I love genetics. I’m convinced genes control our behaviors. Well nature vs. nurture, you might say. But nurture is basically epigenetics (fascinating stuff, look it up, I wish I had space to explain), which relies on the underlying genetic code. I also love “genetic trickery.” That is using existing biological systems to manipulate an organism’s genome to investigate a hypothesis. We can now create “knockout” mice that lack a certain gene, and then study behavioral outcomes. I’m rambling. I chose to study neuroscience because people are strange, and I want to know why. [Read more →]

As the semester progresses at the speed of light, the senior class is beginning to make peace with that fateful day in May: Commencement. Until the class of 2012 up and leaves us, BlogDH wants to highlight all the interesting things the class has been up to. To this end, we are (re)starting a series, Last Call, featuring seniors reflecting on their experiences at Brown. Each featured senior will tag another senior for the next installment. Find this year’s other “Last Call” chain here.

Then + Now

People might know me as… UCS president, or an incredibly funny ball-buster.

Chantel’s question: Do you love this shit? Are you high right now? Do you ever get nervous? I absolutely love it; I’m high on life (my time at UCS is almost over!); all the time.

What was your highest moment as UCS president? There hasn’t been one defining high point, but it’s all the little moments, like when I’m humbled that people trust me to do a good job, or when people appreciate what I do.

And your lowest? Definitely the referendum aftermath [Note: the UCS-UFB referendum held last February]. There was a lot of strife among the students over the reasons for the referendum, and I was frustrated when people thought that UCS and myself would have any sort of motive other than doing the right thing for student groups. I thought people would trust me to do a good job. I’m not ashamed of what I did, but I realize the messaging and the timing should have been different. Although that’s never the kind of attention you want to bring, it did get people interested in UCS, and I still think if you strip out the messaging and the fearmongering, the amendment would be good for everyone. [Read more →]

As the semester progresses at the speed of light, the senior class is beginning to make peace with that fateful day in May: Commencement. Until the class of 2012 up and leaves us, BlogDH wants to highlight all the interesting things the class has been up to. To this end, we are (re)starting a series, Last Call, featuring seniors reflecting on their experiences at Brown. Each featured senior will tag another senior for the next installment. Find this year’s other “Last Call” chain here.

Then + Now

As the semester progresses at the speed of light, the senior class is beginning to make peace with that fateful day in May: Commencement. Until the Class of 2012 up and leaves us, BlogDH wants to highlight all the interesting things the class has been up to. To this end, we are (re)starting a series, Last Call, featuring seniors reflecting on their experiences at Brown. Each featured senior will tag another senior for the next installment. Find this year’s other “Last Call” chain here.

Then + Now

People might know me as…A field hockey captain and someone who wears a lot of backwards hats.

What will you remember most about your experience on the field hockey team? Definitely the camaraderie of the team: the dynamic that we’ve developed of being friends off the field and how that transfers to what we do on the field.

So how do you as a captain foster that camaraderie? There were three captains this fall and we did a really good job of including everyone from all four years — so, making a big effort to incorporate the freshmen into whatever we were doing as a team. We guided them and made sure that everyone was on the same page both in terms of field hockey and in academics and their social lives. We had the full picture in mind.

What is the best way to get your team pumped up before a game? We do a lot of, kind of, channeling aggression. We bang our sticks and do cheers before the game. But I think the main thing is making sure that everyone knows that they’re playing for Brown and that there’s school spirit and a team. That’s why you’re on the field.

On a Friday night, you might find yourself…At the GCB.  [Read more →]