Who’s Whoooo Profile – Lil Burroughs, Director of Operations, Campus Safety

What I do: I manage the operations of the Campus Safety departments at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges.

• My favorite song: “I’m the Lucky One” by Amy Grant
• Dream vacation spot: Hawaii
• Favorite dessert: Chocolate cake
• Best things about Bryn Mawr: The students that take self-governance seriously and want to make a positive change in our ever changing world.
• Best thing about Campus Safety: Once you get to know us we are the most down to earth people on campus. We care about our job; we love getting to know students! Mostly, we want all of our students to be safe.
• BMC club/activity I’d like to join: Spin class on a regular basis
• How I practice self-care: I enjoy going to the gym
• Best safety tip I received: Always travel with a buddy. This means don’t do things by yourself, especially outside and away from home.
• Favorite thing about my job: I do something different every day. Plus, I get to meet so many great members of the College community.
• Favorite spot on campus: Cambrian Row. It has the best view plus I enjoy watching the birds and butterflies.
• In my free time, I enjoy: Spending quality time with my partner and friends.
• Little known fact about me: I love Broadway and the Philly Theater. You can also catch me checking out the Philly Pops.
• My secret talent: If you ask my friends they will tell you they like to talk to me about stuff. I guess I like to listen.
• On my summer to-do list: Summer is supposed to be a time for me to clean up my office–it hasn’t happened yet….

Who’s Whoooo at Bryn Mawr – Profile of Deb Alder
Learn a little bit about Coordinator of Access Services Deb Alder:

• What I do:  I am the coordinator of services for anyone on campus who has a learning, physical, medical or psychological disability. My job is to ensure that these individuals have access to all aspects of our campus community, but, especially, to books and materials for classes as well as to the facilities.  I also provide academic support to a small group of students.
• My major in college: Special Education (undergrad) & Clinical Psychology (graduate)
• Favorite book:  I love to read so I cannot possibly pick one favorite!  One of my favorites from childhood is Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.  However, I am particularly drawn to mysteries and biographies.
• Dream vacation spot:  the Swiss Alps
• Favorite memory from freshman year:  Just hanging out in the dorm with my friends…
• Favorite dessert:  chocolate ice cream
• Favorite spot on campus:  Merion Green
• BMC club/activity I’d like to join: any a cappella group (but, first, I’d have to be able to sing, which I can’t!)
• Tip for freshman year:  Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Who’s Whoooo at Bryn Mawr – Profile of Stephanie Nixon (Pensby Center)
Stephanie Nixon serves as Assistant Dean and Director of Diversity, Social Justice & Inclusion and Title IX Coordinator for the College.  She works in the Pensby Center, which is home to diversity and inclusion programs, leadership programs, and international services and advising.  This summer, she will be facilitating Tri-College Identity, Equity and Social Justice Institute (Tri-Co), a pre-Customs academic and leadership program focusing on identity, power, and social justice. If you’re not participating in Tri-Co, you will get a chance to meet Stephanie during Customs Week, when she will present sessions on the topics of diversity and consent and sexual assault on college campuses. These sessions include the Customs diversity conversations, the presentation on Title IX, the “Speak About It” group discussions, and more sessions during the first-year Wellness program. Stephanie is an incredibly dynamic and engaging presenter and her energy is contagious as is her passion for Bryn Mawr and social justice.

• What I do: I work with diversity and social justice initiatives on campus like the Diversity Council, Diversity Leadership Group, supporting the Alliance of Multicultural Organizations, advising the Community Diversity Assistants, and Spectra Gender and Sexuality Education, and Tri-Co and Dimensions of Diversity social justice retreats among other programs. I also serve as the coordinator of the College’s educational efforts around sexual harassment and sexual assault and support reporting and follow up processes related to our policies.
• Favorite book, song or movie: Favorite book is a tough one as I am an avid reader and bounce between non-fiction and fantasy and sci-fi. One of my favorites is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, although I must admit to having a lot of favorite books.
• Best things about Bryn Mawr: Self-governance and commitment to challenging Bryn Mawr to constantly evolve into a better version of itself.
• Best thing about Pensby: Pensby is a great place to explore new ideas and to complicate existing understandings of ourselves and our communities.
• Tip for the first year at BMC: Take a risk and try something new just for the fun of it!
• What I like about working with new students: I value the chance to learn from all students constantly, and I appreciate the new perspectives and questions the newest members of our community bring.
• Favorite thing about my job: I am so blessed and privileged to work in a role that aligns with my values and brings me learning and meaning each day.
• Favorite spot on campus: Almost anywhere outside on a warm and sunny day.
• In my free time, I enjoy: Spending time with my partner, my dog, my family, and squeezing in time for reading, watching soccer and knitting.
• If I were an animal, I’d be: My dog, Cleo. She has kind of a sweet life.
• My secret talent: Like all superheroes, I feel I must keep my powers and my alterego secret to protect those I love.
• Nickname: Snixon

On my summer to-do list: Reading in the sunshine, urban hikes and time with family (see above).

Who’s Whoooo at Bryn Mawr – Profile of Vanessa Christman, Assistant Dean and Director of Leadership and Community Development
This week you’ll get a chance to get to know a little more about Vanessa Christman of The Pensby Center.

What I do: I work to support individual growth and build community at Bryn Mawr. All of us at the Pensby Center are dedicated to making the College as inclusive a place as possible, while celebrating the diversity of our community. Much of my focus is on small cohorts of students, but I work with everyone from individuals to foundations.

My majors in college: Drama and French

Favorite song: I have a soft spot for Leo Brower’s “Afro-Cuban Lullaby,” Prokofiev’s “Overture on Hebrew Themes” and anything by Gershwin. But I also like new music, especially if you can dance to it!

Dream vacation spot: Morocco

Favorite memory from my first year at college: Being cast in a play, and becoming part of a close community within the college.

Favorite dessert: A bite of something someone else is having (Just ask my kids!)

Favorite spot on campus: The view of campus from the second floor of the Pensby Center

BMC club/activity I’d like to join: Rhythm and Motion or Pulso Latino

Favorite way to start the day: Walking with my husband and our dog in a nearby park (after coffee, of course!)

Tip for the first year at BMC: Look for activities and relationships that will support you, as well as for those that will stretch you.

ViAnna Bernard, Assistant Director of Residential Life

• What I do: I work closely with our Hall Advisors and our two Graduate Assistants to make the experience of living at Bryn Mawr as welcoming and engaging as possible! I am always here as a resource for students who have issues or questions arise relating to their room or roommates. I also oversee Project Dorm Room, which is a room design contest that takes place later in the fall semester.
• Favorite book or music: The Polar Express is my favorite story OF ALL TIME!  My favorite genre of music is country, but I will dance to ANYTHING and love just about all music.  I also have an unusual affinity for Meatloaf.
• Favorite Movies: Titanic, Dirty Dancing, Gone with the Wind, Forrest Gump, and Waitress. I generally enjoy any movie that makes me laugh or cry, but I also appreciate a good horror movie once in a while.
• Dream vacation spot: Somewhere with lots of snow and a crackling fire.
• Favorite dessert: Anything lemon!
• Favorite Quote: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'” -Eleanor Roosevelt
• Tip for the first year at BMC: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We all need a hand sometimes, and you are absolutely never alone. There are lots of people here that want to help you, so all you have to do is ask!
• What I like about working with new students: Their sheer excitement about Bryn Mawr!
• Favorite thing about my job: It allows for a lot of creativity, and we actually spend most of our time in the office laughing. I am surrounded by amazing people each day I come to work.
• In my free time, I enjoy: Hunting for bargains at flea markets, yard sales, and thrift stores, decorating, playing with my nieces, cooking up a storm, having coffee with my mom and dad, trying new restaurants with friends, and organizing anything that will sit still long enough.
• Little known fact about me: I grew up in a farm family in a very rural area of South Jersey, and I loved every minute of it. I guess that probably explains the affinity for country music…

Who’s Whoooo at Bryn Mawr – Profile of Mary Beth Horvath, Director of Student Activities & Orientation

• What I do: As the Director of Student Activities and Orientation I strive to create a vibrant student community on campus. I oversee the Activities Assistants who help me plan a variety of programs to help students develop healthy and meaningful relationships with others, learn about themselves, and develop leadership and life skills. Many of those activities also help students take a break from their studies when they need it. The Activities Assistants also help students learn about Philadelphia and all the great places you can explore and fun things you can do in the city. I work directly with a number of student led clubs and activities to help them plan engaging events for the campus community to enjoy. I’m the advisor to Traditions and work closely with the Traditions Mistresses to help create a sense of community on campus. I also oversee the Customs program, our new student orientation program, and work with the Customs committee and Customs People to help new students acclimate to the College. Find out more about the Customs program by visiting our website at brynmawr.edu/customs.
• My majors in college: Music and Environmental Studies at Dickinson College
• Favorite movie: Grease!
• Favorite dessert: Strawberry Shortcake
• Favorite spot on campus: Campus Center
• BMC club/activity I’d like to join: WHRC, Social Committee, Film Series… I was involved in clubs like these at my undergraduate institution.
• Tip for the first year at BMC: Be open to meeting new people, exploring new interests, learning about other cultures, getting involved, and ask for help if you need it! Everyone is here to help you succeed in whatever you choose to do. Also, explore Philadelphia! Philly is a city rich in culture, with world class museums and restaurants, theater, sporting events, and so much more.
• What I like about working with new students: Their excitement, enthusiasm, and ambition!
• Favorite thing about my job: Working with and getting to know students and planning events for the community.
• In my free time, I enjoy: Running, crochet, reading, trying new restaurants, watching TV, spending time with my husband Bryan and cats Max and Sam.
• My secret talent: I make awesome breads and jams and recently began making a variety of baked goods. I crochet stuffed animals; you can find some of my crocheted owls in various offices around campus.
• Nickname:  MB
• On my summer to-do list: Plan a great Customs experience for the Class of 2021!

Preregistration and choosing courses might seem intimidating or scary, but when looked at in the right way, it can actually be an exciting process! Many first-years mistake preregistration as a sort of binding contract and think that the classes they end up taking their first semester will end up dictating the entire course of their future academic career. However, as a first-year, signing up for (and taking) classes is really more of a chance to explore the multitude of options available to you and to hopefully learn more about the academic paths that interest you the most. Below are some tips for how to successfully tackle choosing your first courses:

• Keep an open mind. Even if you think you know which discipline you want to major in right now, don’t lock yourself into taking the prerequisites for that major right away; there are paths of study here that you might never have thought would spark your interest.
• Give some novel courses a try, even if you’re not sure you’ll like them. Your first few semesters here are a time for exploration. Take advantage of this time to figure out what really interests you.
• Don’t worry too much about getting your college-wide requirements (CC, SI, IP, ) out of the way in your first few semesters. If you take the time to explore various disciplines throughout your time here, they’ll take care of themselves by the time you’re a senior. It’s a good idea to keep them in mind, but don’t let them completely dictate which courses you end up taking.
• Have some variety in the classes you choose. You’ll have plenty of time to specialize later.
• Don’t overload yourself your first semester. It’s a time of adjustment for everyone, and a heavy course load can make an already challenging (though rewarding) time more stressful than it needs to be. That being said, make sure that you do take one or two courses that you know will challenge you. College is a time for great personal growth, and challenging courses that take you outside of your comfort zone will help you become a better student.
• Choose courses that genuinely interest you. Every discipline is “relevant” in some way, and all will help you to become a better thinker.
• Ask any older students you know about what they know about particular professors or departments. While the courses you choose are important, it’s equally important (if not more so) to consider the professor and the department you’ll be spending a good portion of your time in.
• Talk with your Dean! Your Dean is there to help you navigate through the sea of choices available to you.
• Breathe! You don’t have to have it all figured out right now. Take this time to get to know yourself and the school better.

–Claire Petitt ‘19

Hello (hola, bonjour, 안녕하세요, 你好) incoming Mawrters! I’m Lindsey, a writer, cat owner, plant enthusiast and a lover of thrasher films. And for good measure, I’m a Sagittarius (Virgo moon). I’ve spent the last 19 years as a native of Philadelphia; home of typical Philly things such as Rocky, Will Smith, and sweaty cheesesteaks that drip everywhere. Sounds amazing, right? Let’s move on…

You’re probably wondering why I’m here. Why you were born. Why you are on this blog. Why the college enrollment process is so stressful and unnecessarily messy. And why you’re being directed to a blog site ran by a first year that seems to think she is the boss of you.

First, let’s get one thing straight: I’m not your boss. I don’t want to be your boss. One of the joys of graduating from high school and going to college is that nearly everything is up to you. You are in charge of yourself. What you wear, what you eat, the classes you take, when you wake up or go to sleep, it’s all up to you.

That freedom is something I really appreciated about Bryn Mawr. At first, I thought It was going to be hard for me to adapt to living independently, that I’d never adjust to having to take care of myself without my parents holding my hand or telling me what to do. But after a few weeks of settling in, I found myself more comfortable than ever. I created my own schedule, watched plenty of Netflix, ate ice cream for dinner without flinching, and played by my own rules. Ya know, cause I’m a rebel.

However, it can become awfully hard to fully enjoy the college experience when you have no idea where to start or what’s going on.

That’s the reason I’m here: to give you the knowledge I wish I had as an incoming freshmen. There are probably many questions you have in regards to what happens between now and when you walk into your first class next semester. Like how many classes are you allowed to take, what the heck is the tri-co, or maybe you just want to know how my day is going or something (wink, wink). Whatever it is, I’ll be here to answer it.

“Knowledge is the fruit of life” Kim Kardashian once said. So eat as much knowledge as you can or you’ll always be hungry.

I hope you guys are as excited as I am to get to know each other over the next few months. Make sure to keep up with this blog as I will be posting many things in the coming days that will be extremely useful to you. Don’t miss out when you don’t have to. Goodbye for now!