With commencement right around the corner, I decided to ask some of my lovely senior friends to share their advice for incoming students. Since I’m sure that many incoming Yellowjackets are curious what the University of Rochester community is like, I’ve also shared a little about each senior—because what better way to get a sense of our community than getting to know the people that are part of it! Read on for their words of wisdom.
Name: Ayiana Crabtree
Major: Creative Writing
Minor: Medieval and Early Modern Studies
How We Met: Although Ayiana and I are both creative writing majors, strangely enough we met in a calculus class during our first semester. Of her many accomplishments since then, I’ve been especially impressed by her work for Studio X and Anime Interest Floor (AIF). As an AIF floor member this year, I can attest to how organized and approachable she’s been as president, and how genuinely she cares about making people feel at home, on our floor and in general. While I admittedly didn’t love calculus, I’m extremely grateful that class led to our friendship!
Post-Graduation Plans: “Attend the University at Buffalo’s online Master’s of Information and Library Science program. For the duration of the program, I have a graduate assistantship where I will be doing research on the retention of BIPOC librarians with a faculty member and her team.”
Advice: “One of the most important things a student can have is a planner, or some sort of schedule. Staying on top of your coursework, classes, work, extracurricular activities, etc. all while leaving some you time is very important! Making sure you have time to relax at the end of the day, and scheduling mental health days/breaks will be essential to your time as a student to ensure you don’t wear yourself out too quickly.”
Name: Chan Woo
Major: Anthropology
Minor: Statistics
How We Met: My friendship with Chan began during first-year orientation, since we were floormates in Sue B. He’s one of the most adventurous people I know—at various points, he’s served on the 2022 Class Council, led Trebellious a cappella workshops, helped with Alpha Delta Phi fraternity recruitment, acted as Outing Club president, and more—and tackles every new pursuit with dedication and enthusiasm. Chan has this presence where he can walk into a room and make anyone feel at ease, which I appreciated a lot as a very shy first-year!
Post-Graduation Plans: “Pursue an HR role at the L.L. Bean headquarters, where I’ll be coordinating intern programs and assisting with other HR initiatives.”
Advice: “Say yes to doing more things outside your comfort zone. The college experience is something you get once, so try to do as many new things as possible. That doesn’t mean go take an extra class because you “have the time” or “might as well.” It’s not easy but go out of your way to purposely create memories you’ll look back on. I can tell you for a fact I don’t even remember what exam I was super stressed for back in freshmen year, but I definitely will remember apple picking with my friends or meeting some of my best friends on a backpacking trip over fall break. Do well in school but don’t let academics consume you, that’s all.”
Name: Frida Wang
Majors: Business Analytics; Statistics
How We Met: I first met Frida at a meditation event when she was a new transfer student. Our shared interests in literature and business bound us together afterwards, and I’m thankful we’ve shared many of my favorite senior year memories together. Apart from being a UR student, Frida has done modeling work on the side, but I love how she’s also the type of person to make everyone around her feel beautiful. Seeing her forge a path involving both her creative and analytical talents has been exciting to witness, and I’m eager to see what lies ahead for her!
Post-Graduation Plans: “Complete a Take Five year in the fields of literature and film. Apply for jobs and graduate schools while writing stories and watching movies. Keep doing modeling in my spare time.”
Advice: “Always save some time for the things you love to do outside of studying. For me, reading and writing give me motivation to work hard. Sometimes doing things you like even has magical effects on your mental health and builds your confidence.”
Name: Lucy Lin
Majors: Statistics; Accounting
How We Met: During spring 2020, Lucy and I met during orientation for a Greene Center industry trip to NYC. Although the trip was later canceled due to COVID-19, we stayed in touch and became roommates for our senior year. In addition to being a hard worker and incredibly smart, Lucy is humble and endlessly supportive of others. I wouldn’t have known she was a TA for grad students without prying, and I love how Lucy is the same person I could go to for help on both obscure business major questions or baking cupcakes at 11 p.m. on a Sunday.
Post-Graduation Plans: “Work as an analyst focusing on content moderation at Hive. Get ready for the CFA in August. Explore San Francisco.”
Advice: “Don’t be afraid to try new things.”
Name: Tiana Salomon
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Minor: Biological Sciences
How We Met: Tiana was my randomly assigned first-year roommate and is one of my best friends to this day. Despite her many achievements during our years in Rochester, such as her work as a Grand Challenges Scholar, I’ve been especially amazed by how she’s a first-generation international student that’s committed 20 hours to campus jobs every week, and makes her goals look easy regardless of what challenges she’s facing behind-the-scenes. She’s the same selfless, down-to-earth person I met four years ago, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Post-Graduation Plans: “Pursue a PhD in Regenerative Sciences at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.”
Advice: “College can be incredibly demanding and stressful, and there will be many times, especially in engineering, where you get so busy that you can easily forget to do the things you enjoy and love the most. Yes, this is college, it is academics, and it means that studying is a part of it, but don’t lose yourself in it and also use these four years to figure out who you are and who you want to be. You will be experiencing both some of the best times of your life and some of the worst, but don’t let those few moments of despair be discouraging and instead draw strength from the good ones, from the amazing people you will meet and the great experiences that are still ahead of you. College is not a place for you to meet someone else’s expectations but to follow your passions; try out as many things as possible that you find interesting and have never done before. Step out of your comfort zone!”
Although the Class of 2022 has had an unconventional four years—having experienced only one full year on campus before the pandemic—I’m sure I can speak for most of us when I say that college is an incredible opportunity for growth, and your time here will fly by quicker than you’d imagine. Be sure to cherish the friendships you form and enjoy the moments while they last!
From a departing Rochester student to any incoming ones, I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. I hope many fond memories are in store for you!