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Zuhal Saljooki (’21)

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On November 21, 2019

In Student Highlight

This week, we interviewed Zuhal Saljooki (she/her), a sophomore from Long Island concentrating in Computer Science. Read our interview below:

Do you remember your first day at Brown? What was the experience like?
My first day at Brown, moving in, was such a trip because I had been looking forward to that day essentially my whole life.

My entire family comes to move me in, all the other kids are with their moms and dads, and with me it was the whole setup. We had to borrow a mini van because I had so much stuff. As a first-gen low-income student, I had no conception of what it was like to live in a dorm or be in college so I overpacked a lot.

When my family left, I was on my own. My window was open and it was gorgeous and beautiful outside. But I was so confused on my first day.

What should I do first, do I take a shower? My first hour of freedom. I could hear the noises of everyone else outside, interacting. I remember being paranoid, thinking oh my god am I not going to make friends, is this what college is going to be like, am I just going to be in this room forever? I walked outside, and there was a circle of kids, so we all got dinner together.

Something you wish you could tell your freshman year self?
It’s okay to not finish things. You’re not a quitter if you leave something because you don’t like it. It doesn’t mean you’re a quitter, it means you’ve learned enough about something that you can make an informed decision.

I was an engineering concentrator my first year at Brown and I stuck with it because I thought it was what made a winner, but I was just making myself unhappy.

I’d also tell myself that Brown is not what you think it is. It’s not the cool liberal Ivy. It was not built for you — it was built for people who are not UFLi, not a person of color. It wasn’t built for me and I had to figure out how to go about Brown in my own way. I thought I was going to be much more supported. But there’s so much I had to face about myself, about the world, that I thought I’d known.

Favorite part of your concentration? What led you to it?
In my engineering classes, even among all those amazing minds and people, I was one of the only ones that would get a perfect score of close to perfect score on the computer science portion and tank the physics portion, so that decision kind of came on its own.

I was taking material science and CS17 my first semester of sophomore year. I hated every minute of material science and I would do my computer science homework as a way to procrastinate my material science homework.

I feel like in the CS department, they’re starting to make more moves for students with mental health issues. Now they’re also making more moves for UFLi students, and I just feel way more supported in the department.

Georgeara Castañeda (’21)

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On November 21, 2019

In Student Highlight

This week, we interviewed Georgeara Castadeña (she/they), a sophomore concentrating in Religious Studies. Read our conversation below:

How’s your sophomore year going?
Oof. It’s going. I think my sophomore year has been a lot of ups and downs, mainly downs, but I’m very proud of myself for being here and for getting through what I’ve been getting through. A lot of the times it’s easier said than done. I’m still learning to take my own advice.

How was your first year at Brown?
There was a lot of culture shock, a lot of adjusting. I remember just wanting to go home but after a while, finding mariachi and other things, I thought wow okay maybe Brown can be a home. My first year was full of a lot of growth. It was a very hard time but I managed to get through it.

Something you wish you could tell your freshman year self?
I wish I could tell her it’s going to be okay. I really need her to hear the words. I didn’t think it was going to get better but I managed to get through it and here I am. There’s a lot waiting for you.

How has your perception of Brown changed over time?
I never imagined Brown to be a perfect place, but especially with the Granoff article coming out, hearing the struggles of the UFLi community and other marginalized communities, I’ve come to realize Brown really is something. Brown has given me a lot of opportunities but there’s still so much Brown could do for us. I’m disappointed but not surprised. 

Where have you found community on campus?
I started doing Mariachi my first semester. I think it was the first club that actually made me feel at home. I think the first practice we sang Cielito Lindo and I almost started crying. It made me think, okay Brown can have parts of home.

Maria Nicole Bolaños (’21)

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On November 21, 2019

In Student Highlight

Last week, we met with Maria Nicole Bolaños (’21), an Education Studies concentrator, to ask about her time at Brown. Read our interview below.

Do you remember your first day at Brown? What was the experience like?
I had just arrived from LA, 2000 or more miles away. I got here on my own with two large luggages and a small carry on and backpack. I remember struggling to pull all my luggage down Thayer St. When I got to my dorm, my roommate was already there. Her parents had helped her unpack and I remember missing my mom a lot when I saw that.

On my first day of classes, I remember the culture shock because I had already visited the campus before once with a college access program but it was only for a couple of hours. On the first day of classes, when everything picked up and the entire school population arrived, it was super overwhelming. 

I also remember grabbing dinner with Delmy. I remember seeing her at the Ratty and I was so happy because she was the only person that looked like me and I felt so comfortable around her, I asked if I could sit down with her and eat with her. We spent the entire night talking about how much we missed home already.

Favorite memory at Brown?
When Mariachi de Brown had a performance and played Amor Eterno. Me, Delmy, Diana, Cindy, and Idalmis went together. We were all super emotional because it sounded like home and we all started crying. That moment was really special, it reminded me of family and culture all in one song.

Something you wish you could tell your freshman year self?
To not be afraid to take up space that’s rightfully mine — I used to be so frightened to speak up in any class first semester. I hardly ever spoke up, hardly ever raised my hand, hardly ever participated because I felt so nervous and wasn’t sure if I would sound smart or have the proper vocabulary — and hearing everyone else talk, the jargon, it was intimidating and it would discourage me from participating.

Looking back at it, I wish I would have because I really did have so much to contribute. I could have offered insights as a PoC, first-gen low income student. I could offer insights that others couldn’t have but I didn’t realize how much power I had until recently.

Roberto Castro (’22)

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On November 21, 2019

In FLiSP Scholars, Student Highlight

Last but not least, we interview Roberto Castro. He’s from LA and plans to concentrate in Chemical Engineering. Check out his interview below:

Favorite class you’re taking this semester? Why?
I do like math, so that’s probably my favorite class. I know people are gonna be like how? But it’s one of the easier classes I’m taking, and I like the people in the class.

What are you currently looking forward to?
Recently, being here at Brown, it opened my mind. Realizing the potential that someone has within a community, not just as an individual, gave me a sense of what I can do outside of academics. 

One thing I want to get engaged with that I couldn’t get engaged with back home is going out to schools and tutoring students. It’s harder at home, because you need the mission, but here it’s already set. 

Favorite place on campus?
This greenhouse is really nice. It reminds me of home.

Adrianna Maxwell (’22)

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On November 21, 2019

In FLiSP Scholars, Student Highlight

Our penultimate interview this week: Adrianna Maxwell, a student from Chicago. She intends to study International Relations and Health and Human Bio. Read more below:

Favorite class you’re taking this semester? Why?
Surprisingly, it’s been Intro to Poetry. It’s my favorite class because I like how free the class is. All of my other classes are very constructed. Poetry is something I’ve always wanted to do but never explored and this class gave me the opportunity to explore those interests that I never had the time to delve into.

Why did you decide to apply to FLiSP?
I decided to apply because I knew that when I came to Brown I’d need a community I could relate to and talk about our experiences and have someone who would just know my situation. 

The workshops have been helped me navigate Brown’s resources. The conversation with CAPS was also helpful. I think there’s a stigma around mental health and the workshops have been helpful in teaching us how to reach out. Julio and Renata are really good people. They really do extend themselves for us.

Favorite place on campus?
The RISD library. I go to Shiru the most but if the RISD library was closer, I’d definitely go there more often.

Jason Mero (’22)

By

On November 21, 2019

In FLiSP Scholars, Student Highlight

For our second highlight, we met with Jason Mero, a first year from Brooklyn, NY concentrating in Public Health. Read his interview below:

Favorite class you’re taking this semester? Why?
A First Year Seminar, it’s a bio research class —it’s fun because the professor is very lax about it and even though you’re in lab a lot, everyone in lab is fun and everyone has a good time while there. I also like Arabic. Learning a language is so fun and the sounds you make are so different. We laugh together about our mistakes and the professor is really cool.

What have you found to be most challenging so far about Brown?
Even though you take less classes, it’s a lot more intensive work. In high school, weighting is everything. Homework is worth so much in high school. In college there’s an incentive to study more and do more work, but in the end I’m learning a lot from my classes.

What are you currently looking forward to?
Seeing what Brown is like over time, seeing what sophomores and juniors are participating in, and I’m excited to go home for Thanksgiving, especially for the food.

Leticia Wood (’22)

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On November 21, 2019

In FLiSP Scholars, Student Highlight

Meet Leticia Wood, a first year from Bergenfield, NJ intending to concentrate in Cognitive Neuroscience and Africana Studies. Read her interview below:

Favorite class you’re taking this semester? Why?
Intro to Africana — since it’s an intro course we have to study a lot of different things like history, philosophy. We also have a lot of really cool guest lecturers. It’s a very open dialogue and I feel very comfortable in the space, especially because the professor is a black woman.

What are you currently looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to taking more Africana classes and seeing what directions it can take me in. I’m taking two classes in Africana next semester and they’re both very different but it’s under the same discipline. One class is Gender, Slavery, and Freedom, which I’m seeing more as historical and theoretical, and the other one is Hip Hop Culture.

Favorite place on campus?
Is it weird if I say Andrews Commons? I really appreciate the food there.

Adela Herce (’22)

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On November 21, 2019

In FLiSP Scholars, Student Highlight

For this week’s second FLi Highlight, we interviewed Adela Herce, another FLiSP participant. Check out her interview below!

Hometown and intended concentration?
Hayward, CA and biochemistry.

Why did you apply to FLiSP?
I felt like it would give me a community and people I could relate to. It would help me make friends and it seemed like a really good resource. But a lot of us knew each other before. We all met each other on Twitter and ended up in U-FLiSP together.

What do you like best about Brown so far?
Aside from my friends, I like the fact that it is a very academic environment but not to the point where it’s not a collaborative environment. Brown isn’t a place where people are mean to each other just for asking for help.

What are you currently looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to building closer relationships with my friends and to see the growth from when I started at Brown until the end of first semester, end of second semester. Also going back home.

Antonio Almazan (’22)

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On November 21, 2019

In FLiSP Scholars, Student Highlight

In this week’s first (of two!) FLi Highlights, we interviewed Tony Almazan, a FLiSP participant hoping to concentrate in neuroscience. Read our interview with him below.

Hometown and intended concentration?
Los Angeles, CA and neuroscience.

What do you like best about Brown so far?
I really like the campus. I really like the buildings, walking around campus, and looking at some of the buildings. It’s cool to feel like, wow I’m at Brown, or I’m taking a class in Solomon – who else might have taken that class? The atmosphere of being at Brown is my favorite part.

What have you found to be most challenging so far about Brown?
Navigating the open curriculum is pretty hard. I don’t want to take too many classes within my concentration and I want to take some fun classes, so it’s about finding the balance of being able to take whatever you want and stay on top of it.

Favorite class you’re taking this semester? Why?
Neuro 10 – it’s also the hardest but I think that’s what makes it my favorite, because it’s my concentration so it’s really interesting to me to learn about the brain and how our behavior and everything we do is controlled by chemicals and electrical impulses. That’s crazy to me. I haven’t been challenged by a class like this in a long time.

Josue Adan Zepeda Sanic (’22)

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On November 21, 2019

In FLiSP Scholars, Student Highlight

Meet Josue: a first-year student hoping to concentrate in Political Science, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Visual Art. Read our interview with him below.

Favorite class you’re taking this semester?
VISA100 – it gives me a break, it’s a way of therapy, a way to still do work but work that you enjoy doing.

What kind of art are you interested in?
Primarily sculpture and ceramics. Sculpture is such a broad term, but I want to learn how to weld. I like making clay heads and clay plates and clay cups. I want to learn how to glassblow too.

What do you like best about Brown so far?
I’m not sure yet – it’s a big transition for me right now. It’s a lot of work but I like how uncomfortable it’s making me, because I see that as room for growth. It’s a good uncomfortable because I know it will help me in the long run.

Why did you apply to the FLi Scholars Program?
I knew I was going to need a support group to help me out and start my family, to handle Brown and it’s elitism. It’s a way for me to make friends also and get more comfortable with my surroundings. 

If you were a building on campus, what building would you be?
I’d be Granoff because I’m interested in modernistic architecture. There’s something so pretty and out of this world and elegant, but it also has so much personality.

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