A Tribute to Our 2020 Female College Graduates

Across the world, college graduates have attended their last class sessions, finished their last papers, and taken their final exams. But none of them could have anticipated that their final semester would be conducted solely over a computer screen. Four years ago when they began their college experience, they imagined the day that they would walk across the stage and receive their diploma while their family cheered them on. Now, the graduates of 2020 must celebrate from their living rooms, while a prerecorded ceremony plays on a screen in front of them.

Here through Concept Aspire, we want female graduates to receive the recognition they deserve. In a society that often treats them as lesser, these women have not been pressured into making themselves small. Those countless all nighters spent studying in the library, followed by the copious amounts of money spent on over priced coffee just to stay awake for 8:00 AMs, the books annotated, notebooks filled, papers written, tests took… all of these things should not go unacknowledged. Female graduates of 2020, you have worked hard in your educational pursuits, and by them have grown into strong, purposeful, intellectual women. 

We have compiled four short interviews from female college graduates who have dedicated the past years to their scholarly journey. Read to learn how their college experiences have developed them, what tips they have after looking back, and how they plan to leave their mark on our world.

It is essential that femininity and feminine traits get the same respect as masculinity and masculine traits.

What is a favorite memory from your time at University of Roehampton?

My favourite moment at Roehampton is all the late nights with good friends, good music and lots of laughs. People really do make a place.

Are there things you would have done differently?

In hindsight there are always things I would like to change, however, if I changed anything I wouldn’t be where I am now.

What tips do you have for students just entering the school you graduated from?

In terms of advice, on the other hand, there is always something I have learned that is valuable to pass on. Here are my top 5 tips:

1. Take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.
2. Plan enough time for assessments, stressing the night before never resulted in anything good.
3. Enjoy being able to immerse yourself completely in a subject! It’s the beauty of being a student.
4. If you’re feeling down to begin with, drinking more alcohol will not help! You’ll end up spending the night with your head in the toilet.
5. A night out with good friends, music and laughs is sometimes just what you need to get over a study slump.

Enjoy being able to immerse yourself completely in a subject! It’s the beauty of being a student.

What are your next steps?

I have been accepted to Goldsmiths, University of London for their MA Cultural Studies course. Hopefully the corona pandemic is under control by then. I would prefer not to have online teaching as I am excited to meet more people passionate about the same things I am!

I’ve learned the value of listening to others even when I don’t understand their point of view.

What is a favorite memory from your time at Palm Beach Atlantic University?

My favorite memory from my time at PBA is probably the time I spent studying for Honors exams my junior year. I remember staying up until 2 AM with three of my close friends memorizing terms and talking through complex arguments. The time we put in together was fun and the payoff was worth missing sleep for!

Are there things you would have done differently?

If I could do things differently, I would have been involved in fewer extra curricular activities. I was involved in a lot of leadership roles… looking back, I think I would have been much happier sticking with just one. My favorite and most formative leadership role was as an editor of the Living Waters Review. It was difficult at times but I learned to push through the tough times in order to create an outstanding final product.

What tips do you have for students just entering the school you graduated from?

My tip for future PBA students: don’t be afraid to explore new things, even if they go against your expectations for college. If you feel like you need to change your major, do it! Now is the time to explore, grow, and change. Fight the stigmas surrounding your personal growth and pursue what really matters to you. You will thank yourself on graduation day! Also, don’t be afraid to go to counseling or ask your advisor or RD for advice. You need a good mentor now more than ever before. Ask for a coffee date and be open.

Fight the stigmas surrounding your personal growth and pursue what really matters to you.

What are your next steps?

My next step is graduate school! I will be attending the University of Toledo (in Ohio) this Fall to pursue an MA in English Literature. My hope is to get involved in publishing and editing there through the University of Toledo Press.

What is a favorite memory from your time at Vassar?

I was so lucky to live with three of my best friends in a beautiful townhouse for my last year at Vassar. We spent so many days, hours, and weeks laughing, cuddling, cooking, dancing, crying, and just generally being chaotic. I wouldn’t trade my experience and memories from our perfect house for the world.

Are there things you would have done differently?

Academically, I wish I had started Arabic earlier so that I could have improved more, and spent more time with one of my favorite, kindest professors. I also wish I had discovered Community-Engaged Learning earlier, which connects students to internships in the surrounding community, both to have gotten more professional experience and gotten to explore the Hudson Valley further.

More broadly, I wish I’d been more willing to explore and take advantage of all of Vassar’s resources – whatever you want to do, there is probably some way to get funding to do it. I wish I’d realized this earlier. But in general, I am a firm believer that things happen how they are supposed to, and had a pretty incredible college experience filled with many unexpected twists and turns.

I wish I’d been more willing to explore and take advantage of all of Vassar’s resources – whatever you want to do, there is probably some way to get funding to do it.

What tips do you have for students just entering the school you graduated from?

My main advice for any future Brewers is to not let yourself be pressured. Vassar culture and students can be very intense. It’s easy to feel like you aren’t “woke” enough, or “artsy” enough, but most of it is performative anyways. Keep an open mind, don’t get sucked into cancel culture, and just be yourself.

Also – get out of the Vassar bubble! Do an internship in Poughkeepsie! Get a friend to drive you to Beacon! And take the train to NYC when you get a chance. Vassar is amazing but don’t forget how much there is outside the gates.

It’s easy to feel like you aren’t ‘woke’ enough, or ‘artsy’ enough, but most of it is performative anyways. Keep an open mind, don’t get sucked into cancel culture, and just be yourself.

What are your next steps?

In September, I’ll be moving to Morocco to serve in the Peace Corps. After three months of training, I’ll spend two years in rural Morocco, improving my Arabic and working in the Youth Development Sector. My job will primarily be helping young women and girls improve their English and develop professional skills that will help them be successful, independent adults.

When I finish my service, I plan on attending graduate school, where I hope to further my studies in the fields of Diplomacy, Conflict, and Security studies with a focus on women and the Middle East.

I think that climate change is the most significant threat that we collectively face, and that the crisis encompasses every social justice issue there is.

What is a favorite memory from your time at Barnard College?

So many memories come to mind as being among my favorites. If I had to pick one, I would say it was a day this past fall, probably mid-October. Every Sunday there’s a farmer’s market across the street from Barnard, just outside the front gates of Columbia, that vendors from the tristate area attend. Two of my suitemates and I spent the morning wandering through the market doing our grocery shopping, which we frequently did, but that day everything seemed to happen more slowly. We went back home afterwards and spent the day in our sun-filled kitchen just talking and eating and listening to music. At Barnard things move quickly and there’s almost always pressure to be working, but that day was so special because the three of us just relished in being seniors, living together, and living on a beautiful campus in an amazing city.

Are there things you would have done differently?

Looking back, I don’t think I would have done anything differently! Even the more challenging times, like all of freshman year when I thought I was going to major in chemistry, set me on the path that brought me to where I am now, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

What tips do you have for students just entering the school you graduated from?

My advice to incoming Barnard students is to be patient with finding a community on campus. It really wasn’t until midway through sophomore year that I felt a sense of community, and almost every one of my friends had the same experience. Don’t panic if you don’t find your people right away. It takes time.

Don’t panic if you don’t find your people right away. It takes time.

What are your next steps?

This summer I’m working with an organization to help control the spread of aquatic invasive species within Lake Champlain in Vermont. I don’t know exactly where I’ll go after the summer ends, but my career aspiration is to write and tell stories about climate change and climate justice.