Nasrene Haj

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Class Year: 2012
Concentration: Visual Arts
Interests: Drawing, Photography, watching Glee! (And a thousand other shows)
Reason for Coming to SLC: Not having to take tests and taking as many creative classes as I can.
Favorite Class: Photography and prosody with Thomas Sayers Ellis.
On Phonathon: Calling people with a high ask amount.
Favorite Food: Sushi
Favorite Smell: Japanese Cherry Blossom perfume from Bath and Body works.
Coolest Experience at SLC: My birthday party this year because all of my friends from school and home were together.

Sommer Lyn Smith

Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
Class Year: 2013
Concentration: Anthropology and International Studies
Interests: Music, Art, travel, food, movies, good conversation/books and NYC!
Reason for Coming to SLC: I chose SLC for the small, intimate class sizes and conference system as well as the beautiful campus and location.
Favorite Class: I love all of them but I have to say it would be Anthropology of Time and Memory. It’s such a great mix of disciplines and so fascinating.
On Phonathon: It is a really interesting job. I enjoy hearing stories from alums, and the snacks are a plus.
Favorite Food: Hmmm. That’s a tough one, I’m a bit of a foodie….but I really love caramel apples. A good dark piece of chocolate is good too.
Favorite Smell: Jasmine tea.
Coolest Experience at SLC: My coolest experience would be a trip to a local organic farm festival (we got loads of free food and had a pot luck afterwards at the sustainable house (Warren Green) on campus).

Hayley McCann

Hometown: Greenwich, CT
Class Year: 2012
Concentration: No clue.
Interests: Farming, music and reading.
Reason for Coming to SLC: Unique atmosphere.
Favorite Class: Photography
On Phonathon: Great experience, always interesting.
Favorite Food: Cheerios
Favorite Smell: Campfires
Coolest Experience at SLC: Late night walks around campus.

Rachel Sander

Hometown: Warwick, NY
Class Year: 2013
Concentration: Dance
Interests: Dance, writing, politics, religion, knitting, smoothie making, crime shows.
Reason for Coming to SLC: It just clicked—after being on campus for 15 minutes I knew I belonged in this artistic and non-traditional community.
Favorite Class: Contact improvisation
On Phonathon: I love hearing alumni talk about their memories at SLC
Favorite Food: Rice and beans
Favorite Smell: Melon
Coolest Experience at SLC: Meeting amazing friends.

Sara Smith Sell

Hometown: Bainbridge Island, WA
Class Year: 2013
Concentration: Don’t know yet, maybe environmental studies
Interests: Muffins, Kittens, Flannel, Nicaragua, Spanish, Harry Potter, singing folk songs, scarves and recycling!
Reason for Coming to SLC: The academics, of course, and the fact that the Teahaus looks like Hagrids’ Hut.
Favorite Class: Theory I and Strategies of Visibility
On Phonathon: I love hearing how Sarah Lawrence has changed since Alums graduated
Favorite Food: Muffins and Vegan Cupcakes
Favorite Smell: The smell of the Puget Sound and the rain
Coolest Experience at SLC: Attending “From Farm to Fork” and learning about sustainable agriculture.

Tunu Wa-Dutumi

Hometown: Miami, FL
Class Year: 2012
Concentration: Pre-law/fiction writing
Interests: Writing, reading
Reason for Coming to SLC: Proximity to the City
Favorite Class: Fiction workshop
On Phonathon: Great way to connect with Alumni and other students
Favorite Food: Chocolate
Favorite Smell: My mom’s cooking
Coolest Experience at SLC: Seeing the Kinsey Sicks during orientation week.

Judith Aaron

Hometown: Baltimore, MD—and I got mad B-more pride.
Class Year: 2010
Concentration: Urban studies, I guess.
Interests: The Wire, Excedrin, the vending machines, Baltimore, casseroles, taking too many words to express my thoughts.
Reason for Coming to SLC: Thrift stores, card games, cheap beer. Fate just worked out for me. It was the only school I wanted to go to that I got into, but I am so glad I landed here—it’s the perfect fit.
Favorite Class: Workers’ Movement with Kim Christensen and Sexuality & Space with Julie Abraham.
On Phonathon: I like the snacks and when the people I call are chatty. Also, I love seeing where alumni end up and the funny answering machines.
Favorite Food: Mac and cheese.
Favorite Smell: Old spice
Coolest Experience at SLC: Going to my professors’ houses for dinner. I love seeing where they live.

Alexis Ingram

Hometown: Providence, RI
Class Year: 2013
Concentration: Theatre third
Interests: Theatre, photography, tap dancing, improvisation, cartoons, peanut butter, peanut m & m’s, True Blood and sparkles and Harry Potter.
Reason for Coming to SLC: Great theatre program but liberal arts education.
Favorite Class: Ed Sherin’s Creativity Workshop
On Phonathon: I love talking to the crazies and interesting stories.
Favorite Food: Pumpkin pie
Favorite Smell: Pine trees
Coolest Experience at SLC: Feeding a squirrel.

Vivian Liang

Hometown: Beaverton, OR
Class Year: 2013
Concentration: philosophy/history
Interests: manga and anime, horticulture, nature, napping, theatre
Reason for Coming to SLC: Far away from home, flexible curriculum, NYC
Favorite Class: Philosophy and Literature
On Phonathon: Speaking with excited parents and alumnae/i
Favorite Food: Japanese pudding, Asian noodles, Asian food in general
Favorite Smell: Sandalwood, cherry blossoms
Coolest Experience at SLC: Hanging with friends, watching movies

Sami Rovins

Hometown: Voorhees, NJ
Class Year: 2012
Concentration: Religion
Interests: Sushi, Meryl Streep, the NJ Turnpike, Lil’ Wayne, vegetarianism
Reason for Coming to SLC: The seminar and donning system.
Favorite Class: African-American History with Kamozi – he’s the man!
On Phonathon: We get snacks! (It’s a great job)
Favorite Food: Indian food, humus, avocados
Favorite Smell: Vanilla and fresh cut grass
Coolest Experience at SLC: Lounging on the lawn the first days of spring, livin’ the dream.

Leslie Burton

Hometown: Mountain View, CA
Class Year: 2010
Concentration: Theatre, literature, Italian
Interests: Cooking, sleeping, playing with dogs, Meryl Streep
Reason for Coming to SLC: academic freedom
Favorite Class: Myth and Drama with Joe Lauinger
On Phonathon: 1st year!
Favorite Food: Risotto with parmesan, also peanut butter and jelly
Favorite Smell: Cinnamon rolls with frosting!
Coolest Experience at SLC: Once I watched a silver fox amble down Mead Way on a snowy night. Also, learning Gratovski work with Ragnar!

Kayleigh Anne Salstrand

Hometown: Pollock Pines, CA
Class Year: 2012
Interests: Rivers and candy and Meryl Streep
Reason for Coming to SLC: The MASSIVE male population—I have lots of guy friends—and seminars
Favorite Class: Child and Adolescent Development with Carl Barenboim
On Phonathon: We eat candy and make phone calls! It’s fun and way more important than most think.
Favorite Food: IN-N-OUT BURGER!
Favorite Smell: My cat, Simba—she’s cleaner than most humans.
Coolest Experience at SLC: Dance parties at Lynd my first year.

Matt Yost

Class Year: 2013
Concentration: Writing/history
Interests: Fiction writing, singing with an embarrassing amount of passion, mindlessly surfing the internet, depressing movies, cheese, Meryl Streep, sour patch kids.
Reason for Coming to SLC: A writing intensive program and the proximity to all of the opportunities in New York City.
Favorite Class: Biography and Autobiography in 19th century Europe with Jeff Adams.
On Phonathon: It’s a great way to feel personally involved in school while meeting a lot of interesting students and alumni.
Favorite Food: Pasta
Favorite Smell: Rainy sidewalks
Coolest Experience at SLC: Midnight pub runs or the sheer amount of ice cream I consume.

Hannah Steinberg

Hometown: Chattanooga, TN
Class Year: Sophomore
Concentration: Pre-med
Interests: Infectious diseases, International Health Policy
Reason for Coming to SLC: The academic freedom, small classes and conference work
Favorite Class: Political Economies of the Environment
On Phonathon: I love calling first years’ parents and listening to their reaction to our call.
Favorite Food: Pesto
Favorite Smell: Caramelized onions
Coolest Experience at SLC: The night Obama was elected.

Hillary Birch Vanaria

Hometown: Simsbury, CT
Class Year: 2010
Concentration: anthropology, environmental studies, and public policy
Interests: my cats, growing plants, reading, and riding the subway
Reason for Coming to SLC: academic independence and the close proximity to NYC
Favorite Class: Workers’ Movement with Kim Christensen
On Phonathon: Good short story material
Favorite Food: Ravioli
Favorite Smell: Paper whites
Coolest Experience at SLC: Attending a Saul Williams reading

Elizabeth Sane Brandli

Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Class Year: 2012
Concentration: theatre/literature
Interests: theatre, literature, history and costume design. Meryl Streep.
Reason for Coming to SLC: The unique education system and the variety of classes
Favorite Class: Costume Design with Carol Pelletier and Representing Africa with Katie Kilroy-Marac
Favorite Food: Sweet and sour tofu
Favorite Smell: Leaves just after it rains
Coolest Experience at SLC: Having potluck dinners with Slonim 8

Ava Al-Awami

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Class Year: 2013
Concentration: International relations, history, psychology, undecided
Interests: Baking, reading, shopping, traveling, collecting knick knacks, rummage sales, having fun with friends, studying, cooking, etc.
Reason for Coming to SLC: Small class sizes. One on one teacher-student interactions. Classes offered.
Favorite Class: Tie between Paradox for Painters: Problems in 17th century Art and my first year studies: Autobiography and Biography in 19th century Europe.
On Phonathon: Enjoyable, I’ve met some great new people, and I enjoy talking to graduates about their time at SLC and what they’re up to now.
Favorite Food: Tostadas or lentil soup.
Favorite Smell: Christmas-trees, Christmas time, and freshly baked cookies.
Coolest Experience at SLC: As lame as it sounds: going to a physics party where they reenacted Galileo’s trial. It was a really interesting and fun time.

Allison Rosenblatt

Hometown: Easthampton, MA
Class Year: 2012
Concentration: Spanish, dance
Interests: Dance (tap, African), a capella, spanish
Reason for Coming to SLC: It’s different from anywhere else!
Favorite Class: Pre-Columbian Art History
On Phonathon: I especially love talking with the older alums. They have the best stories and they’re so appreciative of what we do
Favorite Food: Goat cheese! Sushi, guacamole
Favorite Smell: Lilies, chocolate chip cookies
Coolest Experience at SLC: Going to an art auction at Sotheby’s!