Later, BrandeisNOW

Photo/Mike Lovett

Yvette Cho '19 (far left) and friends smile for the camera one last time at Brandeis

For my first BrandeisNow piece, I chose to introduce myself through a very on-brand theme of mine and of most college students who are navigating through the trials and tribulations (mainly tribulations) of life: an identity crisis. To have the ability to articulately express exactly who you are at the meager age of 21, or really at any age, is no easy task, and if you, the reader, can do so then please let me know and lead me toward your path of enlightenment!

Identity, to me, is dynamic and is shaped through our experiences that range from the monotonous and mundane to the world-turning and head-spinning. If you asked me to describe myself at the beginning of my senior year when I started writing for BrandeisNOW, and compared that answer to what I would provide today as an official college graduate (a status that still has not hit me yet), my answers would be universes apart.

Throughout the 10 months of my final year at Brandeis, I have both eagerly opened and aggressively closed many doors to chapters in my life, to the point to where I can already hear the neighbors complaining. With 10 months being a mere 3.7 percent of my lifetime, I know I am just about grazing the surface of all that life will bring. 

Yvette Cho '19 with a notebook and pen
Photo/Mike Lovett

Yvette in October 2018, just as she was about to pick up her pen for BrandeisNOW

In the middle of all this change, an overall highlight of my Brandeis student experience and contributor to my personal growth has been working as a writer for BrandeisNOW. This role has opened my eyes to see where I have spent an integral four years of my life. Brandeis will always have a special place in my heart, and being able to gain a fuller perspective of my experience here through writing about it is something that has helped me grow.

I have written stories on remarkable student-led organizations on campus, covered the triumphant underdog story of the men’s basketball team, met peers I never would have crossed paths with otherwise, witnessed the trademark Brandeisian quirkiness that separates this university from all else, and much, much more.

For all of this, I am forever grateful to have spent my last year as an undergrad providing a small glimpse of the Brandeis community to an audience that can relate to, reminisce about or simply learn more about what this university is all about. Writing about and sharing the student experience has simultaneously enriched my own experience here at Brandeis, more than I can say.

Wow, what a wholesome, full circle moment.

Are you a junior or senior interested in writing for BrandeisNOW next semester? Email news@brandeis.edu to learn more.

A smiling Cho holds and peeks through a decorative black, gold and pink cardboard frame that reads "Happy Kindness Day" and "Use our Hashtags"

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