Every year since the fall of 2017, students from the Class of 2021 have shared their academic, extracurricular, and personal experiences in an ongoing online diary series. As first-years, some struggled through shyness; others dove head-first into Barnard’s community. Three years later, following a spring and summer that were disrupted by the pandemic, rising seniors Ellie Harrison, Phanésia Pharel, and Agie Neneh Sissoho return more sure-footed and determined to meet their goals. As Pharel wrote, “This is it!”
Shortly before the start of the fall 2020 semester, these students provided glimpses into their unforgettable summers and insights into what they’re looking forward to this fall.
Ellie Harrison ’21: Art History
Surviving an unprecedented spring/summer:
Spring was an absolute hot mess for me when I was home in Switzerland and six hours ahead of NYC, so I was excited to be back on East Coast time this summer. I worked at my summer camp in Maine, where I taught ukulele, worked as a parent liaison, and organized camp events. Camp was shortened to four and a half weeks, instead of the normal eight. Teaching in a mask in 90-degree heat has been a lesson in breathing, hydrating, and accepting the inevitable swamp face feeling, but everyone here is grateful to have some normality in an otherwise isolated summer. I now know how important it is to my mental health to have friends and feel supported, especially after the spring semester doing Zoom classes.
Thriving over summer:
What I learned from my semester online was what I need to thrive — interaction with others, taking initiative to make plans, checking in with myself, and understanding how I can best set myself up for success. In short, I need people.
Rising-senior thoughts:
As the concept of going out into the real world becomes more solid in my brain, it feels a lot like walking up to the edge of a cliff with a parachute and waiting to see where I will land after the jump. I’m excited, nervous, and hoping that there will be [normal] times again on the horizon.
Phanésia Pharel ’21: Urban Studies, Creative Writing Minor
Surviving an unprecedented spring/summer:
This summer, I jumped around. I lived with a childhood friend for three months in Gainesville, Florida, as my study abroad was canceled and I did not want to immediately return home to my immunocompromised family. I then spent a month with my family in Miami, and I am currently with a Columbia friend in Yonkers. Over the summer, I developed my craft as a playwright. I started my virtual residency with the Echo Theater Company in Los Angeles, for whom I am writing a new play. I also participated in two festivals with Conch Shell Productions: the Blue Light Reading Series, where I presented a short play on climate change, and the RESET Festival (it was my first time being named in Playbill as a playwright), where I wrote a short play about class and racism. I was also featured in a Hangar Theatre performance as an actress! I was humbled and honored to be able to work with Regina Taylor, who directed my play 0.25, and I am currently developing my play Lucky with New York Stage and Film.
I have been fortunate to work as an intern with the viBE Theater, teaching young women of color about leadership and writing; at Be Bold Media, where I assist with social media; and with the American Heart Association, secured through the Athena Summer Fellowship. In all three internships, I was supervised by brilliant Black women. Yet my favorite part from this summer was my emotional and spiritual growth. As the world [has felt unstable] and I’ve been surrounded by images of Black death, I chose to immerse myself in healing spaces. That meant practicing yoga, participating in the book club I started that is dedicated to Black women, and cooking this amazing egg mushroom burger recipe that my friend taught me!
Thriving over summer:
The best tools I have gained from Barnard that helped me this summer were learning time management and self-advocacy. I also poured so much of my knowledge from the urban studies major into my writing and was able to utilize the wisdom passed down to me from the Athena Fellowship in my work environments. Beyond Barnard dean A-J Aronstein has supported me a lot during my time at Barnard and has offered so many nuggets of wisdom that I use everywhere. I was even able to negotiate my wage this summer with his help!
Rising-senior thoughts:
This is it! The last hurrah! I know it will be amazing, and I am so excited. So many of the best things to happen to me this summer came out of this COVID-19 pandemic. I am so much better off than I was before the pandemic. No matter what happens, I know that God, the universe, and my ancestors are protecting me with love.
Agie Neneh Sissoho: Neuroscience and Behavior
Surviving an unprecedented spring/summer:
Over the summer, I stayed home in the South Bronx. I did virtual tutoring and mentoring for Barnard’s Opportunity Program. When not working, I watched shows or played games with my siblings. I also learned that I enjoy being active. During the school year, I thought I spent a lot of time in my dorm room. However, once quarantine started, I realized that wasn’t true; I had a busy schedule that I enjoyed, walks with friends, and dance practices. While in quarantine, I maintain a normal routine of working remotely, reading books, taking MCAT classes, catching up with friends, and learning new dances.
Thriving over summer:
I learned that the friends I made at Barnard have been one of my main sense of support during the challenging times. From checking in with them to having movie nights, as well as ranting nights, they made the quarantine more bearable.
Rising-senior thoughts:
Instead of being gloomy due to the current situation, get the most and the best of it.
