Harmony Graziano

As my last year at Columbia begins, I’ve been thinking back on the tiny chance encounters I had early on that came to define my time here. The random classmate who, after noticing my interest in our Latin coursework, suggested I check out a major I’d never heard of—linguistics—which is now what I study (and the only thing I talk about). I made my very best friend on the first day of school in Literature Humanities. A fortuitous roll of the registrar’s dice put us in the same Pupin classroom that Tuesday, and now I cannot picture my life without him.

Victoria Hou is a sophomore in Columbia College attempting to study political science and economics (like every other student at this school). Her claim to fame includes a few posts that reached over 1,000 likes on columbia buy sell memes and her being the reason why the class of 2021 got T-shirts at the New Student Orientation Program. To all sophomores: You’re welcome. H Mart keeps her sane, but trips down to Koreatown and Chinatown keep her happy. You can find her pretending to study in Ref, likely on Facebook and ranting about Asian American issues. You can also send questions, secret admirer notes, and hate mail at vh2279@columbia.edu. Chop Suey runs alternate Mondays.

In anticipation of moving my belongings into storage next month, I recently decided to clean out my closet. The task sent me into a four-hour-long trance that resulted in ditching almost two-thirds of my entire wardrobe: I got rid of my skinny clothes.

In November, recipients of the Columbia Grant received an email inviting them to the Dean’s Scholarship Reception, a mid-February gala in Roone that paired financial aid recipients whose tuition was at least partially covered by the fund with donors who had contributed to the endowment. (The Columbia Grant is awarded in financial aid packages with no strings attached—it is anonymous, free money that need not be repaid upon graduation, like a loan would. The grant is the primary fund for financial aid.)

For the last four months, I have been the willful owner of an LG B470 flip phone, the most basic model AT&T offers. Allow me to list the capabilities of a phone like this. There’s T9 texting, programmable speed dial, and imperviousness against water, impact, and most nuclear weapons. It boasts a 1.3-megapixel camera that makes every picture look like a bad photocopy of itself.

I came to Columbia after being born and raised in Hawaiʻi. And I’ll be the first to say that the rumors about Hawaiʻi are true: The weather is gorgeous year-round; beaches are free and beautiful; the healthcare system is comprehensive; it’s routinely rated one of the happiest states in the country. People flock on vacation from all over the world for a taste of what is, to many people, an everyday reality.

Over winter break, I was up late one night playing board games with a few friends. We moved through Pictionary, Hearts, and even Monopoly (apparently, we’re very good friends) before turning our efforts to Scrabble.

A casual mention of the phrase “language requirement” usually makes people groan. “It’s just so many classes,” they say, “and far too many worksheets.” “It’s such a waste of time,” they quip, “I learned this all in high school. And I still can’t even roll my r’s. What gives?”

Alexa Roman is a sophomore in Columbia College studying English. She works with the First-Generation Student Advisory Board to address prominent issues in the low-income community on campus. Additionally, she works with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to improve outreach to underprivileged groups. This column serves as a continuation of Alexa’s prior work detailing the experiences of FGLI students at elite universities. Outside of her work, Alexa can be found worrying her mother about the college experience and romanticizing Koronets despite its subpar quality. She would like to remind you that you are still not middle class. Alexa can be reached via email at alexa.roman@columbia.edu, but only if it’s something nice. Her column You’re Still Not Middle Class runs alternate Mondays.