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Checking in With our College-Aged Alums
Every year the Journal checks in with our alums who are either in college or have just graduated. With the pandemic, the economic downturn, and the national demand for social justice, this is a crucial year to find out how our alums are coping. This year, we checked in with Cecilia Emy ‘16, a Rhode Island School of Design graduate (‘20), Emmitt Sklar ‘17, a rising senior and Belk Scholar at Davidson College, Henry Killen ‘16, a Reed College graduate (‘20), Ben Francis ‘17, a rising senior at Brandeis University, Sam Francis ‘17, a rising senior at Brandeis University, and Sierra Vines ‘16, a graduated of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (‘20).
Tell me about your work at college?
Cecilia Emy At RISD, I studied Furniture Design, where students explore product design and sculpture through an abundance of materials, with a focus on wood and metal. I found that I enjoyed working in wood the best. My work is accentuated by an attention to color and shape, often looking eclectic and bright. I find myself rejecting the formal language of traditional furniture and embracing the colors and shapes of public furniture, like bike racks and subway interiors.
Emmitt Sklar I just wrapped up my Capstone for Political
Science. I studied Arabic in Amman, Jordan and I wanted my research to focus on U.S. involvement in the Middle East and
North Africa. I wrote about the U.S. intervention in the 2011
Libyan Civil War and 2013 Syrian Civil War to examine the strength of Responsibility to Protect, an international norm on responding to genocide. A little bit after I finished the
Capstone, Susan Rice, who was [President] Obama’s National
Security [Advisor] and U.N. Ambassador during this period, came to Davidson and I was able to ask her some questions about the topic, which was a really cool experience.
I also just finished up a year as Student Body President at Davidson. I was elected my sophomore year and served until this March. It was an incredibly meaningful experience that gave me the opportunity to put into practice many of the values that I have as a result of my time at BFS. We started a micro-grant program for sustainability projects in order to help our campus meet our carbon neutral goal. We also were able to reevaluate what justice looks like on a college campus. We eliminated punitive fines which affect students of different background[s] in different ways and replace[d] [them] with a restorative, service-based model.
Henry Killen I majored in neuroscience, which meant taking a large number of prerequisites. All of this was rewarded by the work I was able to do on my senior thesis. I spent the last 15 months or so establishing optogenetics as a viable tool for neuroscience research at Reed. I then used optogenetics to examine the interaction between dopamine and a peptide produced in the gut—ghrelin—during drug-seeking behavior.
The research is ongoing, and hopefully I will present it at the next Society for Neuroscience meeting in October. Sierra Vines While at college I was granted the opportunity through my work-study grant to become a research assistant at the Program on Integrative Medicine my junior year. At this job I was assigned to a project that aimed to develop an artificial intelligence chat-bot for
African-American Type II Diabetics. To my surprise I was given a lot of freedom to provide input and direct messaging into the software that would aid a group of people to whom I belong and chose to study academically—African
Americans. To combine my love for health, culture and race in a program that seeks integrative approaches to wellness and health was an awesome experience, to say the least.
What’s a lesson you’re taking from these last several months that you feel will impact your growth or has made you more resilient?
Emmitt Sklar How much the ability to be resilient is built into the structure of the world around us. It is in
so many ways the result of our environment. While this summer was destabilizing for everyone, it became very clear how uneven the infrastructure of resiliency is across the city. I think everyone should be motivated to stay engaged because there is no vaccine for a lot of these problems.
Sam Francis One of the lessons that I’ve taken from these last several months is the importance of embracing adversity. So much is going on at once right now and it is very overwhelming. In times like these, being able to accept what has happened and finding ways to work around, even with the cards we are dealt, is a true test of character.
This has helped me immensely in the past few months and it is a sure way to work towards future success. Sierra Vines These few months have shown me that normal doesn’t exist and for that I’m grateful. Let me explain. It’s easy to adopt a mindset that to attain success one should follow a
“normal” course of life. That path usually looks like high-school, college, professional education, then career. These months have completely shattered the notion that I had for a long time of the
“normal” sequential climb toward achievement.|
Instead of thinking about what application I can send out or studying for a placement examination, I greet my grandparents with a kiss on the cheek and ask them what they want for breakfast. When I see them finish their plate and are satisfied, that feeling is better than an “A” on any test! Trust me, they’re picky.
What I’m saying is that my new lifestyle isn’t going to fit a mold and it was never meant to. The pandemic was a necessary disrupter to my illusion of normalcy. I am comfortable in my quirky path toward success.
Ben Francis One teacher/member of faculty that had a profound effect on my BFS experience was former diversity director Dr. Eddie Moore. Talking with him made any place feel like home. When he worked at BFS, his smile was always beaming whenever you saw him, and he never shied away from asking the very necessary questions we all needed to ask ourselves as students and as people living in an unjust society.
While at BFS he gave us the opportunity to attend the White Privileg e Conference every year, which educated us about and challenged the concept of white privilege and racism. The conference also gave students the tools to combat oppression. He would always give all students a platform to make their voices heard and would encourage us to delve deep into and challenge our own ways of thinking. At a school that tries to tell its students to be okay with stepping into uncomfortable topics, Dr. Eddie Moore was truly a valuable asset to the faculty, staff, and the BFS community as a whole.
Another teacher/faculty member that had a profound effect on my experience at BFS was former math department head Zenzile Keith. Zenzile is a mother of three children, having her third child while teaching at BFS, but she was truly a mother to us all. While she worked at BFS, the math office was so welcoming that it felt as if something was pulling you in there even if you didn’t need any math help. I remember one weekend during finals week, Zenzile opened up the school with her own free time that she definitely could have used to be with her family, to help tutor all students who were struggling in math, or simply just struggling in general. Whether their struggles were school related, family related, or mental health related her motherly instinct could always tell when something was off, and she never stopped showing her support. It’s a shame that current BFS students will never have the same experience I had with Zenzile Keith, but the values that she instilled in me still shine bright to this day.
Sam Francis Zenzile Keith is a BFS former math department head and a former BFS math teacher. Throughout math class, I always remember her pushing us hard with a firm but encouraging hand, as she saw the potential we all had to become great. Because of Zenzile, I rediscovered my love for math. Zenzile may very well have been the personified qualities of “hard work” and “determination.” I remember that even when Zenzile was pregnant with her third child, she still came in early and stayed late to help students in and out of her class with things they were having trouble with. Not only was
Zenzile an outstanding math teacher and a fantastic example to live by, but she was also a fearless advocate for students of color in the BFS community and words truly do no justice in capturing my gratitude for her. Speaking truth to power, one of the mantras of Quakerism, is what Zenzile did daily and she was not afraid to risk her position or make some people uncomfortable when she was lifting up the unheard voices of students at BFS, even when others would not do the same. My experience at BFS was exponentially improved by having such a selfless and strong black woman to rely on in times of need.
Orinthia Swindell is the former diversity director at BFS, taking over from former diversity director Dr. Eddie Moore. Every day at BFS, Orinthia’s office was a beacon of light in the hallways and her embracing warmth helped me feel comfortable in my own skin. In my senior year, I will never forget how she made it her ultimate goal that I and several other students attend the White Privilege Conference.
This conference helped me learn the tools and obtain the skillsets to fight oppression and racism in this country. Not only did she do this, but her involvement was also crucial in the organization of my last Privilege Day in senior year, a day that many students at BFS hold close to their hearts. During this time, professionals and students alike organized workshops throughout the day to teach their peers about the multifaceted term “Privilege” and all its applications from race, age, gender, ability, sexual orientation, etc. She was a rock in the BFS community, and I will always remember the impact she had on my maturation at BFS.
Sierra Vines Although there were many teachers that impacted me greatly at BFS, for me to honestly answer this question I can’t limit myself to just teachers. I say this because
I felt like I was at home with my aunty when sitting with
Donna waiting to get picked up. David Gardella gave me a place to have fun and be myself within sports, a place that I never would have imagined that I would fit. Leaving school and running to Kevin Narvaez, and he would tell me how proud he was of me, gave me a little more confidence when I felt like
I was behind. When I was sick and had a sore throat one day, the assistant chef, Joe, made me fresh ginger tea and we would chat, having a great time. I looked forward to lunch so I could see Nitza Rivera. She would always greet me with a warm smile and hug me whenever she got a chance. I feel that the janitorial, kitchen staff and sports staff at BFS were my safe havens of love, support and transparency.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention any teachers because there were so many that I could go on and on about. I loved Sidney [Bridges] and his compassion for students, enthusiasm about literature and spirit of gentleness. My beautiful women of color teachers, like Zenzile Keith and Megan Schumacher who lit up the room, were so necessary in my coping with my own blackness and gender. I found a forever family member in Tiffany Huggins who, to this day, I can call on for anything! Then my advisor Pete Prince and Jesse Phillips-Fein showed me what true ally-ship meant.
What has this year looked like for you, before and during the pandemic?
Cecilia Emy This year was challenging—the spring of senior year is when students work on their thesis—or as we call it, Senior Degree Project. We are required to make at least three fully-realized pieces, but before we could complete one, we were forced to pack up and leave, due to COVID-19.
My peers and I had to sacrifice the projects we wanted to do, either starting a new project that was feasible to complete from home, or realizing our projects as drawings on paper, and creating a report that was more research heavy, which is what I chose to do. It was incredibly hard to abandon my studio practice, but I feel that the report I completed still represents the incredible effort I put into all my work.
Ben Francis For me, pre-pandemic was pretty normal.
My classes were going alright, and I was in the middle of studying for a few midterms. Online classes were different, to say the least, being very hard to adjust to. The unfamiliarity with online learning caused some issues, and distractions at home proved difficult to overcome. However, all went well, and I still did well despite the switch to online.
Brandeis handled the switch as smoothly as they could.
how did the Quaker education you received at BFs prepare and guide you for your studies in college, on a micro and macro level? (For example, daily life and challenges, as well as the larger issues of growing up, being away from home, and navigating the world of the university for the first time?)
Henry Killen I attended Quaker school from 3rd grade to 12th grade. The core Quaker belief that there is “that of God” in each individual is extremely appealing at a time where the president of our country values the current state of the economy over human life, and system[ic] racism is revealed in every corner of our society. Even for a non-religious person like myself, believing that the highest good can be found in every person, and we are all equal in that regard, has helped guide my decisions and priorities. I did not have a hard time moving far away from home and navigating university, but I attribute that more to going to camp every year. I think that the most important lesson I got out of my
Quaker education is respect for the inner light, as a Quaker would call it, in every person; on a small scale this means respecting other people’s time and acknowledging the work other people do for me on a daily basis, and on a larger scale this means making time in my life to help people who need it.
To read the full text of all the interviews, please visit brooklynfriends.org/tag/college-aged-alums.
