The end of the academic year at Barnard is always a time for celebrating the hard work of graduating seniors, who will be cheered on by family and friends as they walk across Radio City Music Hall’s iconic stage for Commencement. In this “Countdown to Commencement” series, seniors share how they have grown during their time on campus, the tight bonds they’ve built with peers and faculty, and some of their most memorable moments as scholars at New York City’s most illustrious women’s college.
To kick the series off is Brooklyn native Angelic Estrella Molos ’25, a women’s, gender, and sexuality studies (WGSS) major who made it a point to take on leadership roles across campus. Since Molos’s sophomore year, she’s worked with the Student Experience and Engagement Office (SEE), helping to organize events and initiatives that build community and amplify student voices, and served as a resident assistant with Residential Life and Housing for two years. As a junior, Molos became a Francine A. LeFrak Foundation Center for Well-Being Ambassador, and this year she led financial well-being initiatives tailored to the Class of 2025 for life after college. She is also a proud member of the Senior Fund and the Senior Council.
Below, read more from Molos about her Barnard experience, which included being a social media student worker for the College’s Communications Department, collaborating with the Student Government Association (SGA) on inclusion and student advocacy programming, leading book clubs for prospective students through Barnard’s Pre-College Programs, and serving as a group leader for the Science Pathways Scholars Program (SP²).
Why Barnard?
What drew me to Barnard was its outstanding women’s, gender, and sexuality studies program — one of the best in the country — and its deep commitment to research through the Barnard Center for Research on Women (BCRW). There is so much history at Barnard if you are interested in feminist movements, and I wanted to learn from renowned professors whose teaching has profoundly shaped how I think and act today. I was also drawn to the unique environment of a women’s college — a space that fosters leadership, critical thinking, and a community like no other. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be surrounded by peers who care as deeply as I do about social issues and who challenge one another to grow intellectually and personally.
I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without the Barnard community and everything I’ve learned through being so involved.
Senior Thoughts
As a first-generation college student, I was ready to take in as much information as possible. I was always asking questions about how we can make things better, and I was — and still am — deeply committed to reimagining the world that I want to see. I tried my best to be incredibly involved in our community and made so many wonderful friends who supported me along my journey.
Being at Barnard has enabled me to be more precise in expressing how I feel and why. I have learned how to connect with people from all walks of life, and I show up for my community and follow through on commitments even when they seem scary. I am in a continuous state of learning, unlearning, and improvement.
I knew from the minute I stepped on campus as a high school junior in 2020 that I wanted to be a WGSS major, and [I am] proud to be part of one of the best departments on campus. The students in the program are some of the most genuine, passionate, and empathetic people I’ve ever met. Their creativity floors me — their thesis papers blow my mind, and I constantly find myself wishing I could bottle every word they say.
Academic Highlights
I wish I could have taken WGSS’s U.S. Gay & Lesbian History class with George Chauncey over and over. The course that inspired me to add a race and ethnicity concentration to my major was Introduction to Latino Studies, taught by Frances Negron-Muntaner.
I’ve [also] been lucky to learn from Penelope Meyers Usher, my wonderful First-Year Writing professor and now thesis advisor who quite literally cut up my thesis with scissors and taped it back together to show me that my paper can go in whatever direction I decide; Meredith Benjamin, my second thesis advisor, who has spun many of my thoughts into gold; Maleda Belilgne, whose Queer Harlem course changed the way I see NYC and the world; and Elizabeth Bernstein and Manijeh Moradian, who guided me through the most intense moments of the thesis process with care and insight. Janet Jakobsen has been the most supportive advisor I could ever ask for, and Fawziah Qadir — whose classes I’ve taken almost all of — has deeply shaped my thinking about teaching and learning.
Hangout Spots
The SEE office in Diana is my second home. I also enjoy spending time in the Financial Well-Being Suite of the Francine LeFrak Center.
First-Year Advice
When opportunities knock at your door, keep an open mind and — if you can — say, yes! You meet amazing people in the strangest of situations while learning so much about yourself and others in the process. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without the Barnard community and everything I’ve learned through being so involved. No matter what you decide to major in, you must take a WGSS course before you graduate!