The Blue Jay Buffet

A Family Affair

Name: Stephanie Cascio

Year: Class of 1977

Major: Biology

Parent of: Esther B. ('09), Zoe B. ('09) and Eliza B. ('13)

Current Town: Cranston, RI

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It has taken several years of dogged and unrelenting persistence from my daughter Esther to finally get me to write a blog entry for the JHU Admissions website.  The great motivator at this point in time is the enormous significance of the year 2009 in our family.  All three daughters are graduating. Not only are the twins, Esther and Zoe, incredibly, unbelievably, close to completing four fantastic years at Hopkins, but their younger sister, Eliza, will be graduating from high school, and entering Hopkins with the Class of 2013 in September.  We are still wrapping our minds around these multiple lines of connectivity for our entire family to Hopkins, and Eliza’s college choice continues to be a source of continual amazement and bemusement for us all.  Full disclosure is necessary before this blog advances too far: the girls’ dad, Jonathan Bell, and I graduated from Hopkins with the Class of 1977.  The first photo shows me at age 20 with my maternal grandmother on Commencement Day 1977, under the magnificent elms that still shaded the Upper Quad.  

Over the past four years, visiting Baltimore several times per year has gradually moderated my initial response to being on the Homewood campus, although I am always aware of how happy I am to be there, indeed, how instinctively blissed out I am to be there.  This may seem a strange reaction to “Charm City”, such a gritty and real place.  But I understand it as the place where I first made my own life, acquired my seminar groupie habits at the Eisenhower Symposium, fell in love with organic chemistry and developmental biology, and appreciated the season of Spring, that Baltimore does so well, like never before.  Is there anything as life affirming as Spring Fair (when the weather cooperates)?  There is also an identification with Hopkins values, which I feel persist today, Hopkins students were serious students who care about ideas, learning, accomplishment much more than physical appearance or material possessions. The graduate student: undergraduate ratio tipped slightly more towards graduate in the mid 1970s, there was no School of Engineering and undergraduates numbered about 2500.  In consequence, research was emphasized even more, and most undergraduates took several graduate level courses in their major subject. Male undergraduates outnumbered females four to one in 1973, and the mid 1970s was a time of fierce feminism on campus, as well as a remarkable feeling (at least in my experience) of being special, cherished, supported by the entire University, as the pioneer women undergraduates welcomed into Hopkins.      

The approach to Hopkins from the North, driving south on North Charles Street, continues to have a ritual feeling of building joy for me.  I am grateful that Esther and Zoe were undergraduates at Hopkins and allowed me to renew my connection to the University.  Contemplating their graduation, I feel almost as sad as they do, although the final twin tuition payment was certainly something to celebrate!   They both got so much out of Hopkins—from the stimulating and sophisticated courses that they took in their respective majors of International Relations (Esther) and Writing Seminars (Zoe), their involvement in drama and theater and their work in the Alumni (Z) and Admissions (E) Offices.  They failed to develop into the serious lacrosse fan that I became, and they didn’t discover Chesapeake Bay oysters on the half shell, but they were able to treasure the quirky, historic and un-renovated Gilman Hall, the heart of Hopkins. The second photo shows Esther (left) and Zoe (right) with me behind Gilman Hall, April 2007, celebrating my 30th reunion at Homecoming. They were able to benefit from an elegantly expanded campus so harmoniously integrated with the older buildings in brick in white marble; new classroom buildings, new departmental buildings, the impressive Decker Quad including the elegant Mason Hall.  And Charles Commons seemed like the ultimate, utopian dorm when the twins lived there the year it opened, during their sophomore year, especially after my own pretty basic dorm experiences in Baker and Wolman.   

And now Eliza will be at Hopkins!!  How will she build her Hopkins experience, what academic, social, extracurricular choices will she make?  As much as I now realize that I never expected that she would choose Hopkins, just like I never expected Esther and Zoe to both attend, I also realize that I am so very happy with this outcome.  Four more years with a direct connection to Hopkins in real time! Although Jon and I have graduate school connections to Columbia and Harvard, and the girls may ultimately attend various graduate schools, Hopkins will always be the intellectual source and center for both parents and daughters.

Memoirs of A Hopkins Alum

Name: Brandon Lawrence

Year: Class of 2008

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Current Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Majors: Philosophy major; minor in Film and Media Studies

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Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening. Whatever time you are reading this blog is the perfect time because I am here to give you the insider information as you apply to Johns Hopkins. First of all, my name is Brandon and I am from sunny Los Angeles, CA; I was a Philosophy major with a minor in Film and Media Studies and I was a member of Spring Fair, started a stand-up comedy club on campus (let’s hope it’s still going strong), and was a very dedicated worker bee in the Undergraduate Admissions office.

Before I begin, I want to congratulate you on making it through high school. And if you’re not a high school senior and you’re still reading this, don’t worry because everyone is welcome to read my blog. While high school is tons of fun, nothing compares to the experience of going to college. Yes, there are numerous resources and opportunities ranging from studying abroad, internships, alumni connections, excellent professors, and even parties; but the best part about college is proving to your parents that you can indeed survive on your own for four crazy years. And I am here to help you as you get ready to (hopefully) come to Johns Hopkins.

If you’re an early decision admit, congratulations. Now you can sit back and watch your friends pull out their hair, chew up their pencils, and constantly check their mailboxes while you can kick back and relax until September. If you did not apply early decision, do not worry. Take it one day at a time and eventually the acceptances will start rolling in. Now, you might be wondering why I went to Hopkins when everyone is pre-med. WRONG!

Everyone is not pre-med and you don’t have to worry if you do not want to jump on the medical school bandwagon. Actually, I wanted to be a doctor but after a year and a half, I decided to change from being a Neuroscience major to a Philosophy major. So, if you visit Hopkins and hear an admissions counselor talk about how someone changed from being a pre-med Neuroscience major to a pre-law Philosophy major, you can tell him/her that you read the blog of that person. While medical school is no longer in my future, I am happy working as a paralegal in Los Angeles at a firm so crowded that there’s a wait for the elevator while I wait to attend law school in September of 2009.

Enough about me. I could give you stories of how glamorous the working world is with morning rush hour, spilled coffee, broken fax machines, and donuts every morning but this is all about you. I am here to help you as you consider attending Hopkins. Even if you are on the fence or will never attend Hopkins even if the president paid you a million dollars to do so, please keep reading. This is meant to help all (even though most of the information will be mostly related to Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, and Johns Hopkins).

First, college will be nothing like high school! If you are the type of person who can  study the night before your AP Calculus exam and still get the highest grade in the class, it is best to break that habit right now. Do not come to college—especially Johns Hopkins—expecting to study for your Physics final for one night and think you will get an A+. Professors will not hesitate to assign you 500 pages of reading to do in two days. Second, college is better than high school! Whether you’re the most popular person in school or if your best friends include the Bronte sisters, college is going to be the best four years of your life. There is something for everyone and if you love playing Wii Music and no one else in your school does, there will definitely be someone in college who loves playing Wii Music as well. Take my word for it: no matter who you are, what you love, or where you’re from, college is going to knock your socks off. So, let’s kick off my mini-guide to Hopkins.

The best place to talk with friends: Café Q in the Library. While it might sound dorky, this little coffee shop is the best place to discuss Tolstoy, the most recent episode of Gossip Girl, why you think your TA is hot, or even plan next weekend’s fun-tivities. Trust me on this one. People pass through Café Q all day and I can guarantee you will see someone you know and become totally distracted.

The best place to catch a nap: the desks in the library. While it might seem like it would be uncomfortable, when you’ve been up all night writing a 10-page essay on euthanasia, this little wooden desk will seem like a cloud. Just don’t snore, ok?

The best place to eat the worst possible thing for your body: University Mini Mart (or as all students lovingly call it: Uni-Mini). The best thing about this place is that it is open 24 hours. The bad thing: everything else. With food from chicken parmesan sandwiches, French fries, milkshakes, snack cakes, and anything you order can be drowned in ketchup or deep-fried, this place is the worst if you want to avoid the Freshman 15. But it’s so so so so so good. You are made of stone if you never go to Uni-Mini while at Hopkins.

The best place to get a tan, play Frisbee, get free food, or to relax after a brutal exam: the Beach. Now, while it doesn’t have water, sand, surfers, lifeguards, or fish, this large stretch of grass is hard to miss. Many people, including myself, have gone to the beach to blow off some steam, to hang with friends, or even play volleyball and why shouldn’t you? Also, it’s wireless, so whenever the weather is nice, feel free to go out and sit on the grass and do some homework, register for classes, check facebook, download music, or buy concert tickets.

The best thing to do on campus: Spring Fair. I have been a member on the Spring Fair staff for 3 years and I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t make a shameless plug for Spring Fair. Every April, for one weekend, tons of vendors selling jewelry, purses, clothing, numerous baubles, and food come out to support the Fair, which happens every April. There are also carnival rides and games and even deep fried Oreos.

Now, I am sure your parents are worried about your survival when you go off to college and here is a survival kit that you MUST bring to Hopkins on your first day. It is a very simple list so it is easy to remember:

 1.    Snacks: you will get very hungry late at night. So whether your favorite snack is granola bars, Swedish fish, popcorn balls, or SoyJoy, it is best to buy it in bulk to keep under your bed to chow down on as you’re reading, talking with your roommate, or even if you missed breakfast as you’re running to class because your alarm clock didn’t go off.

2.    Favorite TV programs/movies on DVD. My personal favorites include “30 Rock,” “Legally Blonde,” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” This is crucial because if you’re sick, tired from writing a paper or taking an exam, or hanging out with friends, it is good to have a go-to DVD collection when nothing is good on television or because you don’t feel like going out.

3.    Instant Noodles. Not everyone can be Rachael Ray so if you don’t trust your culinary instincts, it is next to impossible to screw up instant noodles. Buy these in bulk too.

4.    Vitamins and medicine. Mom and dad aren’t here anymore. While that sounds like paradise, it also means more responsibilities on your behalf—so take care of yourself! You have to stay as healthy as possible when you’re on your own. Classes still are in session when you’re sick so be sure to always take preventative measures so you can always be at the top of your game.

5.    A good attitude. This is the final thing on your survival list. Life is full of setbacks and mishaps, but as long as you have a good attitude, you can and will go far. Also, a good attitude will help you develop the friendships and relationships you will remember for the rest of your life.

So, I hope this mini survival guide has helped you in your decision to apply to Hopkins. Good luck! You made it this far so don’t give up now.

***If you enjoyed this alumni blog entry then we recommend you check out Brandon's Guest Blog entry from March 2008 - Explorin' the Town.

Still Hot for Hopkins

Name: Jason Yuan

Year: Class of 2007

Hometown: Rapid City, SD

Current Residence: Phoenix, AZ

Major:Neuroscience

Current job/position: Research Associate, Medical Student (M.D. Class of 2013)

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Happy Holidays!  Just returned from a whirlwind tour of beautiful Las Vegas.  As you can see from the pictures, we engaged in some wholesome yuletide fun.  Where else in the world can you – in the span of one evening – ascend to the top of the Eiffel Tower, go gondola-riding on Venice’s Grand Canal, get pictures taken with famous movie stars, and blow hundreds of dollars of hard-earned money in mere minutes?  Vegas of course!  It’s where all your dreams come true, if only fleetingly.

I’m not one to beat around the bush, so here it is…an update on what’s been going on in my life in the past year or so. 

Following graduation in the spring of 2007, I moved up to the Boston area to intern at a schizophrenia treatment/research center.  I’m interested in the field of Psychiatry and particularly fascinated by the biological and social aspects of schizophrenia, so having the opportunity to learn so much about the disease in a leading institution was a blessing.  I spent quite a bit of time interacting with patients; this was of course a little unnerving in the beginning, but after getting to know them better, I realized that there is a huge reward in being able to empathize with someone having experiences and a background so extraordinarily different from my own.

In the summer of 2008, I relocated to Phoenix, Arizona – the place of my birth and the residence of many of my extended family members.  I am currently working as a Research Associate at the Sun Health Research Institute’s Laboratory of Neuroinflammation.  Our research is focused on the inflammatory pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, and we utilize human tissue samples from the facility’s on-site Brain Donation Program. As you can imagine, relying on human rather than rodent models to predict the molecular and cellular events associated with Alzheimer’s disease makes the research much more meaningful.

I’m also knee-deep in the medical school application cycle.  To those of you considering the pre-med route, this is a yearlong process – “lovingly” brought to you by AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) – involving both primary and secondary applications, as well as interviews.  Applying to medical school is exhilarating, yet also tedious, expensive, and emotionally draining.  But it’s worth it!  I have been fortunate enough to have an acceptance under my belt at this stage of the game, and of course, this is an enormous relief.  The cycle doesn’t officially end until around May, so like many of you, I’ll be riding the admissions rollercoaster for at least a few more months.

This summer, I will be traveling to Chennai, India to serve as a global volunteer for Unite for Sight, an international NGO aimed at providing eye-examinations and sight-restoring surgeries to severely underserved communities.  This position involves assisting with the screening of rural villagers in the areas surrounding Chennai, under the direction of local ophthalmologists and nurses.  Upon my return, I am considering heading out to Los Angeles for a few months to work as an “extra” in Hollywood with the Central Casting agency.  This gig consists of 12-hour days of mostly waiting around, faking “intimate” conversations with strangers, and walking from “Point A” to “Point B.”  But hopefully I’ll get an inside scoop on what really goes on in the creation of various film and television productions.  And who knows?  Maybe I’ll have the opportunity to meet some stars!  In any case, it’s an interesting way to earn some cold, hard cash for med school.

From a post-graduate perspective, what’s there to say about Hopkins?  Well for one thing, I firmly believe that it’s the leading educational institution in terms of OPPORTUNITIES.  As an undergraduate at Homewood, it basically goes without saying that whatever you want, you can have.  This doesn't just apply to the seemingly endless list of clubs and activities available for students from all backgrounds, but also to internships and various other experiences that will allow you to stand out and get the most out of whatever you choose to do - whether it be research, music, service, or underwater basket-weaving!

Even as a baby alumnus, Hopkins has already opened many personal and   professional doors – not only for me, but for my former classmates as well.  Those that were passionate about the humanities and social sciences are now pursuing their law degrees or doctorates at amazing institutions, and my finance and economics friends have since landed exciting positions on Wall Street or in consulting.  I even know a few people from “the drama crowd” that have, after being out of college for only a few years, scored roles on Broadway and are now acting with the Big Guns of the business.  If you're like me and drawn towards the biological sciences, then of course, Hopkins is your Holy Land in terms of medicine and biomedical research.
 
Although it isn't possible to adequately describe my "Hopkins experience" in the space of a few paragraphs, I can summarize how the experience has affected me today.  JHU provided me with a super-charged education that allowed me to take full responsibility for my own intellectual development.  Every bit of knowledge that I could ever dream of grasping was right there at my fingertips; all it really took to obtain this information was desire and initiative.  In the end, my four years at Hopkins made me more prepared for the "real world" than I had ever expected.  If anything, I gained a huge appetite for learning, as well as a determination to take charge of my own future.

Living in San Francisco

Name: Michelle Brown

Year: Class of 2008

Hometown: Melbourne, FL

Current Residence: San Francisco, CA

Majors:Neuroscience major; minors in Music and Theatre Arts and Studies

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My first blog since Hopkins- and I’m past the deadline for when I said I’d have this in. Some things never change.

Well, what have I been up to since graduation, you ask? Well, right after graduation, I flew out to San Francisco for a job interview with glassCanopy, a marketing firm that focuses on technology companies. I found the job through the Career Center- thanks, Career Center! The trip out was great, and my future boss took me to the symphony, out to dinners, put me up in a gorgeous hotel- so of couse I couldn’t resist. I accepted the job soon after getting back home.

I moved out to San Francisco on July 9th and promptly started the most hectic and stressful housing search ever. Nothing my roommates and I ever went through in Baltimore could compare. Imagine trying to rush the most competitive sorority ever, times 10. First, you had to email a mini-autobiography to all the apartments on Craigslist that you liked, then roughly 1 out of every 10 apartments you emailed would actually email back. Then you were invited to an open house, which had anywhere from 10-60 people at it, all trying to talk to the roommates who lived in the house in order to charm them into selecting them to be the LUCKY WINNER of that coveted 8x10 closet-being-passed-off-as-a-room.

I had to get clever- after a few of these futile open houses, I started bribing with chocolate-and-Reeses-pieces cookies. After that, it didn’t take to long to find a great place. Can we all “ooh” and “ahhh” at the views from my apartment’s roof deck?? 

I was accepted to 890 Union St on July 22^nd and moved in on August 1^st. It’s been fabulous so far- I live with 2 guys, Ruairi and Chatham, who are really great and very fun. Ruairi is a designer at an architecture firm, and Chat works with a software consulting company. Ruairi is great to live with as a newcomer to the city, because he’s always planning things for us to do- hosting parties at the apartment, planning pub crawls through various San Francisco neighborhoods, going to Napa. Both Chatham and Ruairi always make sure we get out of the apartment and DO things (they’re actually both hiking right now but I’m sick with some flu thing so I passed on the hiking today). One of the best things about a Ruairi-planned escapade is that he comes up with amazing HTML email invitations. Check out this one for our Ninja-themed pub crawl in the Mission district of San Francisco:  

Work has been going well, too. The work I do at glassCanopy is really interesting, and I really love learning so much about this new field. You may wonder how a Neuroscience major ended up with a marketing job, and really, my experience working in the admissions office at Hopkins and working on Hopkins Interactive provided the proof that I had “marketing” skills- if I could sell a school, I could probably sell software and solar panel technology too.

I work on a wide range of issues with our clients- everything from managing the projects we undertake to brainstorming ideas for ad campaigns to writing text for our web site projects. Every day is a little bit different, and it’s really interesting getting to know our different clients and realizing how different companies operate. We have a lot of European clients who are trying to break into the US technology market, and these are established companies that have been in business for years now. Alternatively, some of our clients are startups who just received their venture capital funding, and working with them is completely different- much more fast-paced, much more unexpected. Working in the technology market is also cool because every new client is an introduction into a new kind of technology- new ways to manage firewalls and network security, new software to organize your files, new ways to approach solar energy production- and we learn it all in order to market their products effectively. Plus, I’m now getting more entrenched in the Valley culture- my friend who works at Google was able to recognize the founders of Yelp when they recently walked into a frozen yogurt shop we were sitting at. Crazy.  

SF is a fantastic city. It’s really pretty, there’s water everywhere, most of the buses are zero emissions because they’re electric (and the ones that aren’t are hybrids), you can get anywhere with public transportation, cable cars run until 1 am, and everyone is a dog person. Seriously, dogs everywhere, I love it. A woman was shopping in Walgreens with her dog on a leash and no one blinked an eye. Plus, there’s so much to do! I’m already playing with a symphony out here, and this weekend I went to Ruairi’s company “Fall Ball” and also went to see another friend of mine play at a local bar. There is always something going on in Golden Gate park, whether it be a big concert, an arts festival, a lawn bowling tournament- if you’re interested in it, San Francisco offers it.  

Despite how much I like San Francisco, I miss all my friends (and boyfriend) who are still in Baltimore. Because of this, I am especially grateful to the Hopkins Board of Trustees for picking up the tab to return to Baltimore 4 times a year. As a Young Trustee, I sit on the Academic Affairs committee and help make decisions about things like the direction of the curriculum and, as part of the full board, more important matters like the election of our new University President. I had my first meeting back in October, and it was amazing. All of the trustees were so nice, and they all wanted to introduce themselves and hear about what I did. As in, they would ask me what I did, and I talked about working for a tiny marketing firm that focuses on technology startups, and then it would be a little weird because I would ask “So, what do you do?” and they would say, in slightly more roundabout ways, “I’m the VP for Merrill Lynch” or “CEO of the Red Cross” (usually initially phrased as something like “I work in finance”). Then I’d feel like a little bit of an underachiever, but the trustees never made me feel that way- they were just as fascinated by my marketing gig as I was by their CEO titles.  

Plus, the food was amazing. Our first dinner was a full 5-course affair hosted at the Walters Art Gallery. Tom was such a good sport putting up with all the small talk at the Trustee dinners, probably because there was such great food involved.   

So, this is my life 5 months post-graduation. I really love it, but already I have med school planning looming in the back of my head. I’m beginning to start my MCAT studying, which I’ll be taking in March. But for now, I’m enjoying my job, my new city, and my roof deck.

***If you enjoyed this alumni blog entry then we recommend you check out Michelle's archived blog from her time as an undergraduate -- Michelle's Musings.

From Hopkins to Harvard: A Love Story

Name: Candido Brown

Year: Class of 2008

Hometown: Baltimore, MD

Current Residence: Cambridge, MA

Majors: Sociology (BA) and Education Policy (Ed.M.)

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Wow, I can’t believe it’s been three months since I’ve update my “peeps” on how I’m doing in one of the coldest places in the nation: Boston!

Well, while I’m not going to overwhelm you with months of information about me, I will tell you how my love affair with Johns Hopkins prepared me to navigate my relationship with the Harvard Graduate School of Education (Harvard).

For those of you who don’t know, the beginning of my life was full of trauma. Born to a heroin addict and reared in one of the poorest cities in America, life for me was grim. In fact, life was so grim, to be provided a better one, my grandmother moved me to New Jersey to live with her.

There, she nurtured and protected me, ensured I had the necessities, and, most importantly, ensured I did well in school. Now, although I won’t bring tears to your eyes, I will say my grandmother saved me from a life bound for failure (thanks, “grans”).

So, given what she did, and jumping ahead nine years, it was in 2004 when The New School --a private liberal arts school in New York City--and I started dating. In fact, although I had never seen her before, because I was tired of my relationship with Baltimore, I knew that a new relationship in a new city was what I needed. To make a long story short, as weeks turned into months, I began to grow tired of her. Frustrated by her socially and psychologically overwhelming personality, I “broke up” with her, returned to Baltimore, and searched for a new love.

After months of loneliness, it was in 2005 that I found that love: Johns Hopkins. After Hopkins and I started dating, she immediately began challenging me. In fact, it wasn’t until she introduced me to Dr. Floyd Hayes, an amazingly intelligent, yet challenging, professor, that I began to see the world differently. Because of him, no longer would I write the way I did when I dated the New School. Instead, I would dramatically transform the way I saw the world, becoming less passive and more critical of my peers and scholarly writing.

In addition to what Dr. Hayes taught me, I must say that almost all the professors I’ve had have challenged me (thanks, y’all). Whether it’s been through intense class discussions about racial inequality or educational conversations during office hours, they have encouraged me to think critically about such controversial issues. Consequently, no longer would I allow imprecise comments from peers to go uncontested. Instead, I would question such fallacies to better understand the world.

Not only was I challenged while dating Hopkins, but she also inculcated in me the socio-emotional intelligence needed for real world success. During my relationship with her, I was the Financial Chair of the Black Student Union (BSU), intern for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), student representative for the Diversity Leadership Council (DLC), and employee in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Consequently, these positions equipped me with the socio-emotional intelligence needed to engage with others. Given this, no longer would I question myself about how to effectively lead and manage groups. Instead, because I learned from the best, I would lead others the way I was led: With respect.

Speaking of learning from the best, the greatest part about dating Hopkins was meeting the best: The people. From them, I learned that:
(1) It’s better to staple the “yellow sheets” than to paper clip them
(2) I’m not black, I’m Jewish
(3) If I’m ever feeling down, I should just say “that’s life in the big city!”
(4) I look like Michael Jackson when he was black and male 
(5) If I ever need a job, I can fold bags and make smoothies “on the side”
(6) Small children can say a name as complicated as mine
(7) My favorite snack is graham crackers topped with caramel and walnuts
Although the above lessons are meant to be funny (I hope you laughed), out of all honesty, the social lessons I learned are far more complex and invaluable than the aforementioned ones. Whether it’s been how to effectively lead organizations or how to best socialize with racially and ethnically disparate individuals, I’ve acquired the necessary skills to successfully navigate my relationship with Harvard.

So, as you probably have guessed from the last sentence, in 2008, my three-year relationship with Hopkins ended (hey, I wanted to remain in the relationship, but was becoming aware that I could no longer afford Hopkins’ high taste) and my yearlong relationship with Harvard began. With her, I am using the lessons learned from Hopkins to make this relationship as productive as possible. That is, as an Education Policy and Management (EPM) Masters Degree student, I am using my critical thinking skills and socio-emotional intelligence to tactfully orchestrate class discussions. Moreover, I’m using these two skills to respectfully challenge the assumptions made by my peers. Furthermore, as the Senator of my EPM program, supervisor of the Harvard Fund Campaign, and program coordinator of a family engagement initiative, I am using the skills I acquired while dating Hopkins to lead and manage those with whom I work.

To sum it all up, my three-year relationship with Hopkins was beneficial in countless ways. Not only did I receive the critical thinking ability to challenge my and other students’ thinking, but I’ve also gained the socio-emotional intelligence to navigate my new relationship with Harvard. And, although I know my current relationship is temporary, I will always think back to the lessons learned from my love affair with Hopkins!

*** If you enjoyed this alumni blog entry then we recommend you check out Candido's guest blog entry from February 2006 -- Forever Exist: From Turmoil to Success.  

Reflections from the Other Side of the World

Name: Stephanie Tow

Year: Class of 2008

Current town: Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong

Major: Neuroscience

Current job/position: Fulbright English Teaching Assistant

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Flying out to Hong Kong in early August, I felt the same as I had felt any other summer during college – excited to partake in a new adventure before heading back to campus to start classes. It wasn’t until early September, when classes usually start at Hopkins, that it hit me – this year would be different. For the first time since preschool, I was not going back to school in the fall – at least not as a student.

Having graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience this past May, I am currently on a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English in Hong Kong until July 2009. Although I have felt homesick for Hopkins and college life a few times, I have definitely enjoyed my experience in Hong Kong with my program so far. There are fifteen other fellows (all from different parts of the US) in my program, and we all live on campus at the institute at which we teach, making it extremely convenient for all of us to hang out. We have spent the past few months exploring much of Hong Kong, including various islands (it’s still hot here! And I definitely miss Baltimore autumn weather!), museums, festivals, and of course, lots of shopping and eating lots of great food – the latter two being two major parts of Hong Kong culture. There is always something to do in Hong Kong, and the public transportation is extremely convenient – there is pretty much an MTR (the railway system that we use here – somewhat like the New York subway system) stop nearby any place you need to get to in Hong Kong, making it really easy to get around.  Hong Kong is definitely an urban environment; even areas that are classified as “rural” here would be considered urban in the US, which has made me realize how much I miss the Hopkins campus – the perfect balance of a beautiful, isolated campus in the middle of a major city. Anyway, in Hong Kong, if we don’t feel like shopping at one of the many malls here (there has literally been a mall within a few blocks of me almost everywhere I have gone), we can also check out various events going on, such as food expos, art festivals, festivals held for special holidays, plays, dances, concerts, sporting events (the big one being horse races in Hong Kong), and the list goes on…For example, just in the past week, my friends and I have enjoyed various Halloween festivities, held our own election breakfast party (due to the time difference) and watched CNN broadcast the polls while enjoying coffee and pancakes, gone to a German Bierfest at the Marco Polo Hotel, and crossed the border to go to Shenzhen, China for the first time to bargain shop and get a massage for a cheap price.

Reading this far, you’re probably wondering if my life has changed at all from college. While life in Hong Kong has definitely been full of fun thus far and I realize this experience is more of a transition year for me rather than a full-on introduction to the realities of the rest of my life, I have also recognized the importance of using this year to build upon my experiences at Hopkins to better prepare myself for the next chapter of my life. Holding true to this, I have definitely kept myself busy. In addition to serving as an English Teaching Assistant in the Music Department at my institute, in which I sit in on classes and help guide student discussions in English and also meet with students during my office hours, I also volunteer at a primary school and preschool on our campus. Each week, I teach an arts and crafts class to P1 and P2 students (about the equivalent to 1st and 2nd grade in the US) and a science class at the primary school to students in levels P5 and P6 (about the equivalent to 5th and 6th grade). I also help the preschool once a week by reading stories to the children and teaching them games I learned in the US as a child. If anything, through the roles I have played in the classroom as a teacher and my interactions with both my friends here and students in Hong Kong, I have realized how much Hopkins has prepared me for the rest of my life.  

As a Neuroscience major, you may be curious as to what I am referring to when discussing preparation for my post-grad life – how did a degree in Neuroscience prepare me to be a teacher in my program? Or perhaps I feel prepared because I gained some teaching experience through extracurricular activities as an undergrad? To clarify, this is not what I mean when I say Hopkins has prepared me for the rest of my life. While I am sure my academic success as a Neuroscience major and my teaching experiences have prepared me for my future profession (I aspire to be a doctor and work in the fields of academic medicine and education), I know that in actuality, it is all my other experiences that have prepared me for my pursuits after college.

At Hopkins, I was quite active on campus: In addition to interning at the Admissions office, I was also a Resident Advisor and a Teaching Assistant for the Organic Chemistry Lab course. I also played on the ultimate frisbee team and held various officer positions, conducted research in a neuroscience lab, studied flute performance at Peabody, was involved with a few service/research organizations like Nu Rho Psi and Alpha Phi Omega, and did a few other things. With these involvements, I was able to form many connections, get to know a diverse population, and learn a lot from my friends and from myself.  I was also able to build many skills from my experiences, and I was amazed by the transition I underwent from my freshman to senior year. I got to know a diverse population of students very well and learned to appreciate diversity more than ever. I also gained a great amount of leadership and management skills, acquired a new sense of responsibility and maturity, and learned various ways to effectively connect with others, among other things. But most of all, I am grateful for the wonderful and supportive network of friends I gained at Hopkins, who have been there for me through thick and thin, both at Hopkins and during my time in Hong Kong, even though the globe lies between us.

So while I am abroad on the other side of the globe and have definitely learned more about our world, my time after Hopkins has also showed me how much I have gained from my undergraduate experience at Hopkins – four years I will treasure forever for how much I have learned. And while I certainly miss the close proximity of my friends and seeing people hang out in the dorm lounges during all hours of the day, there is no doubt that I do feel comforted and supported by the new, greater network I have joined – the Hopkins alumni, who have proved to be helpful even when far away from Baltimore. Even in Hong Kong on the other side of the world, people know the strong reputation of Johns Hopkins University and recognize the value of a Hopkins student/alumnus. I can only imagine how I will feel when I return to the US, where the alumni network is even more prevalent.

***If you enjoyed this alumni blog entry then we recommend you check out Stephanie's guest blog entry from this past spring -- So Much Has Changed.

Baltimore in the Post Grad World

Name: Alison "Lissy" Shale

Year: Class of 2007

Current Town: Baltimore, MD

Major: Psychology and Spanish

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Hiiiiii everyoneeee!

My name is Allison “Lissy” Shale and I graduated from Hopkins in 2007. I was a psychology major and a spanish for the professions minor and I was very active in a bunch of groups on campus. I did a lot of work in admissions such as giving tours and interviewing prospective students but I also spent a lot of time doing stuff in my sorority, Phi Mu. On top of that, I did research in a Health Psychology lab and helped organize various activities in the Hillel on campus.

Upon graduating, it seemed like the natural choice to stay in Baltimore and I decided to enroll in graduate school for Clinical Psychology at Loyola College. Being right down the street though is a HUGE tease and even now, over a year later, it feels weird to be in Baltimore but to not be calling Hopkins home. I knew that I would have this feeling though because of how much I truly loved being at Hopkins - I loved the people I met, the groups I was involved, the classes I took, the lacrosse games, Spring Fair…and that’s just to name a few because as you can tell, I really did LOVE it all.

On top of loving Hopkins, I also grew to love Baltimore. From going out to dinner in restaurants that overlook the inner harbor, to street fairs in Fells Point, there is always something new to discover. One of the coolest places I found around Baltimore is Hamden. Whether I was at HonFest and looking at all of the big beehive hairdos or just enjoying brunch at the Golden West Café, it’s nice to know that I can make my way to Hamden to escape true “city-life” and see a part of the city that is a little more unique and eclectic.

In the end, I would not change anything about my time at Hopkins. I am so insanely proud of the fact that I can say that I am a graduate of such an amazing university. Whether it’s thinking about the friends I made, that I know I will have forever, or simply recognizing just how much I learned inside the classroom and about myself, I had an absolutely amazing college experience.

To sum it all up, I Love, Love, Loveeee, Hopkins and I know that I always will!

Learning to Live Baltimore

Name: Sonia Sarkar

Year: Class of 2008

Hometown: Austin, TX

Current Town: Baltimore, MD

Major(s): Public Health and International Studies

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Staying in Baltimore after graduating from Hopkins this past May is one of the best decisions I could have ever made. After such a monumental election, the city is positively aglow with enthusiasm and anticipation around what is coming next. Despite having grown up in Austin, TX and being a loyal Longhorns fan, learning to become a Baltimorean has been a great experience. 

Upon first coming to Hopkins, I had no idea what to expect from the city or surrounding community. My parents, of course, were concerned about the stereotypical ‘urban dangers’ they had read about online, and without a car I was unsure about how easy it would be to explore. My freshman and sophomore years were for the most part spent on campus, taking advantage of the numerous dance parties, improve comedy shows, symposium speakers, and cultural programs available to students. 

My last two years at Hopkins, however, I volunteered for a local non-profit that was based at various health clinics around the city, in the East Baltimore, Park Heights, Bayview, and Southwest Baltimore neighborhoods. All of a sudden, I discovered a fascinating amalgam of communities complete with their own quirky personalities and traditions. Upon learning about the history of the city and meeting some fabulous individuals, I realized that the bonds I had created with the city as well as the university were definitely worth staying on post-graduation. For those who are interested in exploring Baltimore (or any campus city!), here are a few suggestions:

1) Don’t be afraid to immerse yourself in the community. The first time I walked the streets of East Baltimore was an enormous learning experience. I knew next to nothing about the rich cultural history of the city: the way Greektown had morphed into a bustling Latino community, or the 200+ neighborhood associations that interacted with each other on a regular basis. At first, I treated my visits as just an extension of the college experience- a shuttle ride from Hopkins and back again. One day, though, a group of kids at a Baltimore City public school I was visiting asked if they could come along and help me with my job (which at the time was informing community members about available health insurance programs). They were awesome and way better at convincing their relatives than I was, and shared with me all of their ideas about creating Baltimore-relevant posters, murals, and buttons to give to their peers. I learned about their families and communities, then topped out the summer by attending one of the best block parties I’ve ever encountered (complete with a cake walk!).  

2) Travel outside of the typical tourist spots. As fun as Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is, there are only so many times you can play at ESPNZone or walk around the waterfront. Most of the time, the true gems of a city are hidden away in quirky neighborhoods that are rarely advertised to incoming students. In my four years here I have discovered: a former 1920s speakeasy that now doubles as a quaint coffee shop, a museum that chronicles the history of Maryland’s railroads, and an outdoor garden that serves up some of the best crepes I’ve ever tasted. Keeping these special go-to locations in your repertoire is incredibly valuable for when friends come to visit from out of town, and it’s also a great way to meet new people outside of the university bubble. 

3) Find ways to connect to the city through the university. One of my favorite parts of being a student was the opportunity to explore Baltimore through various university connections. Hopkins is the leading employer in Baltimore, but its reach is much wider than that. This summer, I met tons of alumni who have graduated and chosen to make Baltimore their home, as well as adjunct professors and directors that span every major business and government agency in the city. These amazing connections have taught me that no matter where I go in the city, there is a valuable Hopkins connection ready to go. Through this network I have been able to find some great mentors who are doing exactly what I envision myself to be doing in the future. 

4) Get involved! Even though college students come to their cities for only 4 years (or 6, or 8, or more…), there are plenty of opportunities to sit on local advisory boards, neighborhood associations, and even run for city council. One of my favorite experiences from this past summer was participating in the Baltimore City Mayoral Fellowship program, which brought students from a wide variety of disciplines to City Hall for a 10-week stint in an agency of our choice. Through this I learned about the various ways in which I could influence Baltimore’s future (like sitting in on a sustainability committee for a Cleaner Greener Baltimore), and also met people who were willing to take a 6 AM bike ride through the city with Mayor Sheila Dixon. 

Transitioning between the Hopkins world and that of Baltimore City has been incredibly fun. Currently, I work for a non-profit called Project HEALTH, which works in conjunction with the Baltimore City Health Department and local universities to mobilize college students around important public health issues. As a result, I still interact with students on campus everyday (and still live in Charles Village!), but also observe the city and its agents in action every day. No matter where you choose to spend your college years, remember that getting off campus and exploring the community that surrounds you can be a great supplement to the student experience. Venture out!

Reflecting on the Application Process

Name: Michelle Tellock

Class: Class of 2007 Graduate

Hometown: Hortonville, WI

Current Residence: New Haven, CT

Majors: Cognitive Science and Sociology

Greetings from chilly and fall-colored New Haven, Connecticut! I just finished conducting a tour of my new academic home, Yale Law School, and on the walk back to my apartment I passed three huge groups touring the undergraduate school. The presence of prospective students on campus en masse always makes me smile and become a bit reflective.

Six years ago, I embarked on the college application process as a relatively naïve high school senior. Looking back, I admittedly made some mistakes – I probably shouldn’t have avoided taking the SAT IIs, there were other schools I should have more thoroughly investigated, and some schools that I applied to were pretty obviously not a good “fit” for me. All told, though, I am grateful that I by chance ended up applying to Johns Hopkins and thankful for the wonderful four years I spent at Homewood.

Working in the admissions office at JHU gave me an insider’s view of the process, which certainly helped to calm my nerves when a little over a year ago I started submitting law school applications. I was older, wiser, and certainly better informed about how to go about the process this time around. Here, my advice to those of you just starting your own whirlwind application cycle:

* Start with a wide net, informed by a number of sources – Don’t rule out schools too early on without a good, personal reason; add schools to your list when they seem interesting for whatever reason: you saw an article about interesting research being done there, a friend of yours posted gorgeous pictures of the campus on Facebook, a chance encounter with an alum or current student sparked an enjoyable conversation; rankings can be helpful to guide your search, but remember that the only rankings that matter in the end are the ones that you construct for yourself, based on a variety of factors that matter most to you. I worked really hard not to rule out law schools that well-meaning friends told me I shouldn’t consider going to. On the other hand…
* Be judicious about your list – Come December, you don’t want to have 48 applications to complete! Your guidance counselor can probably give you a good sense of how many applications you should send off, but don’t submit ones to schools that you know in your heart you’d never attend (it’s just wasting your time/money, and someone else wants that spot!). Focus your energies on schools you love, and your applications will turn out much better: any school-specific essays will be easier to write, and any “Why School X?” questions in an interview will be easy to answer. I applied to 13 law schools last fall, a few of which should never have made my list…when I found it hard to answer “Why School X,” I should have realized that those schools weren’t a good fit for me.

* Write your essays with heart. Go over them with a fine-tooth comb. Then let them sit for a couple days, read them over again to make sure they sound like “you,” and be done with it. – People reading applications hate to find grammatical and spelling errors that show you haven’t spent enough time proofreading your writing. What’s even worse, though, is when the words on the paper don’t sound like you wrote them because you’ve so carefully edited your thoughts into what you think you “should” say. Don’t be afraid to completely scrap something you’ve planned for months in favor of something that’s suddenly inspired you. If you write something unique and heartfelt, it’ll (almost) make up for lack of perfect polish. My best law school application essay (in my humble opinion) was something I pounded out on my keyboard in ten minutes after being frustrated with writer’s block for over a month. It ended up being a little rough around the edges when I hit “submit,” but it showed an aspect of my personality that didn’t shine prominently in the rest of my packaged application.

* Don’t let yourself get caught up in the hype. Enjoy your year! – Your friends might be hearing back from schools, you might be tempted by online discussion forums (I know I spent an unhealthy amount of hours carefully poring over fellow applicants’ statistics and stories), and you might be checking your e-mail and phone compulsively for messages from specific domains/area codes. It’s completely understandable. Still, don’t forget to enjoy your senior year and all the memories that will come along with it. You won’t get the year back to live again.

* When making your decision, listen to yourself first, and listen to yourself last - First impressions mean a lot. When you step foot on campus, an electric feeling might be a sign that you’ve found your perfect match. Don’t be afraid, though, to ask challenging questions to the admissions staff, the financial aid folks, and current students. Understand what it would be like to live there, study there, and have fun there. In the end, make sure you can picture yourself as a member of the community; personally, I acquired t-shirts from my final three law school contenders, and considered how I felt while wearing each one (for a few weeks, I must have seem awfully confused to any unknowing observers!). When I felt at home in my t-shirt, I knew I had an answer.

I hope these few bits of wisdom will help you as you’re going through an intensely (yes, also intense!) personal process. Academic application processes are stressful, and they don’t become any less stressful as you go through more of them (just ask my roommates what it was like living with me in the week leading up to the release of LSAT scores!); however, if you recognize that the process is unique to you because it is your process (over which you have a lot of control), you will certainly more thoroughly enjoy the months meant to help you find the place that is the best fit for you. Best of luck!

*** If you enjoyed this alumni blog entry then we recommend you check out Michelle's other guest blog entry from last year -- Greetings from Washington, D.C. -- and also her archived blog from her time as an undergraduate -- Not-Quite-Daily Ramblings.

As you get older, you get wiser!

Name: Adam Hack

Class: Class of 2003 Graduate

Current Residence: Baltimore, MD

Major: Economics major; Entrepreneurship and Management minor

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In October 2007, I came to a terrifying realization.  I got a note from the JHU Alumni Office.  The note congratulated me on my graduation and invited me to my 5 year college reunion.  It took me a few minutes, but I eventually convinced myself there must be some mistake, I could not have possibly graduated 5 years ago.  This moment of denial was quickly followed by a moment of clarity.  I had graduated 5 years ago…and I am getting old.

But as I mentioned, growing older is not necessarily a bad thing.  Yes, I have a little less hair, and yes, I move a little slower, but 5 years post graduation has afforded me a more astute perspective on my experiences at the Homewood Campus.

Here are the brass tacks of my Hopkins education.  I was an Arts and Sciences student and I graduated with honors with a degree in Economics and a minor in Entrepreneurship and Management.  However, as I sit in my living room and look at my diploma, I realize this is the physical manifestation of my education, but most of what I learned at Hopkins was not taught in the academic classroom.  Also, most of what I “got” from Hopkins cannot be summed up on a piece of paper.

In fact, most importantly, and I am sure your parents will like this, I got a job!  After all, this is the end game.  At some point, you will have to bite the bullet and make enough money to support your Chicken Parmesan addiction (or at least that’s mine, fell free to insert your guilty pleasure here).

Most people say their college experiences helped get them their first job.  For me, that’s an understatement.  That’s because I was hired by a college professor of mine.  I was hired to help him design and run a software development company.  What did we design?  I don’t know if you will have heard of this, but we designed an online college admissions application called … The Common Application Online!!!

But certainly, work is not the only thing in life, and certainly not the only “thing” I got from college.  My philosophy is, if you work hard, play hard too.  My passion is soccer!  At Hopkins I was a member of the Men’s Soccer Team and was a two-time All American (Scholar and Athletic).  I have continued playing as a weary weekend warrior for the past 5 years.

Through my friendships at Hopkins, I hooked up with the Baltimore Colts (not the football team, although they may have left town before you were born, so don’t worry if you missed the reference) a competitive men’s soccer team.  Over the past two years I have won an outdoor and indoor National Championship. 

Finally, and yes, here comes the nostalgia, I have gained a wonderful sense of Hopkins pride.  I must own:  6 Hopkins hats; 5 Hopkins shirts; a jacket; a blanket; a bumper sticker; 3 coffee mugs; and more pens and pencils than I care to count.

Alright, so that might be a bit much, but as you’ll find out, life is about accumulating stuff.  More practically, however, I show my pride by volunteering with Hopkins.  I have been a graduate assistant soccer coach, commencement volunteer, admissions office open house speaker, entrepreneurship and management department guest lecturer, and I even came up with the idea to “name the Blue Jay.”  Needless to say, I am still connected to the university.

I am, however, just one of this very fine network of Hopkins alums.  As an undergrad, I don’t think I realized just how terrific this university is and how man doors professionally and personally it would open…but then again, as you get older you get a little wiser!