Earlham College

Fully Present is more than just a state of mind. It's a way of life. So what does it mean to be fully present? It means being thoroughly immersed in your learning. It means being intentionally direct in your actions. It means being completely invested in a community of people who listen to each other and learn from new perspectives. It’s about more than finding the answers. It’s about defining the questions. It’s not just about asking, “what will I learn?” It’s about asking, “How will I live?” And it’s about understanding that becoming fully present is the best way to become fully prepared for the future.

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Earlham College: Nowhere is the world closer

Earlhamites are the kind of passionate thinkers who take action by using their whole mind and heart to make a difference and move the world forward. Nowhere ...

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Because I grew up in a not so well-off family, I want to help other people live a better life - things like fighting poverty and giving people equal opportunity, especially the girls. My mom was the first one to get education in a family of ten, and she had to come through difficult situations. Everyone should have a chance at success and equal opportunity.

My sister is ten and I watch her overcome challenges. If my sister goes through these situations, what about other people? I was a beneficiary of government funding to get an education. I was the lucky one, so I ask myself what can I do now so that others can benefit from my opportunity.

-What do you want people to say about you when you're no longer on this earth?

I want them to say that it was good having me. I want to have an impact in their life and I want to make sure that they feel I cared for them, and that I contributed to their success and that they had someone to talk to when they faced difficulties, and I want them to realize circumstances don't necessarily lead to success. That you can make it despite your circumstances. It's not all about getting what you want but doing the best with what you have.

Wyclife '17

Hometown: Kisumu, Kenya

Undeclared

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"There is something very sincere about receiving a handmade card in today’s fast-paced society. The time and care that goes into painting and writing the cards is so fulfilling for me because I know they are going to make someone smile or laugh. Since these are hand drawn, no two cards are exactly alike; each one is unique! The whole process has taught me about how important it is to put thoughtfulness and sincerity in everything you do."

Liliana ’16, 

Hometown: Richmond, IN

Art and French double major She also has her own card business, Cards by Lili.

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We feel anxiety and vulnerability when we show ourselves initially. I have found that the key to building a conversation that is more than superficial is if you are open and share yourself. If you make yourself vulnerable and open, then the person you are talking to is more likely to do so.

Conversations often have this weird push and pull going on. If you are passing someone on The Heart for five seconds, it seems rude if you don’t ask the superficial questions like ‘How are you’ or ‘How are classes,’ but nobody has the time in passing to answer with or listen to the real answers.”

Ana ’16

Hometown: Baltimore, Md. 

Sociology and Anthropology, and French double major

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“The last time I lost track of time I was listening to the ‘Heartbreaker’ album by Ryan Adams while rearranging books in the basement of the science library. I caught myself just in time to not be late for lunch. It’s an album that I love, and the work was simple and methodical but also fun in its precision. I was able to lose myself in it. I admit, I lose track of time several times each day. The thing I liked best about the experience was that it’s really nice to have the feeling of being productive without being sapped of your energy. That’s a rare thing in college.” 

Michael ’15 

Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC

English major

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“Here in America I love that I can smile. If I see you, and whether I know you or not, it does not matter, I can smile at you. I am able to share a smile with people I have never known before. In Nepal you can't look people in the eye when you pass. When I was younger I accidentally made eye contact with someone and the guy shoved me against a wall. It would have escalated had I been older. Yes, there may be problems, but it’s a beautiful world here.”

Ram ’17 Chemistry and Physics double major Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal

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"I just turned in my thesis." 

Shannon, '15 

Comparative Languages and Linguistics major, 

Hometown: Athens, OH

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"If I could change anything in the world, I think I would make people more proactive. I would encourage people to become more involved. Taking what we learn about the things we care about and giving them a voice is so important. If there's something you don't like on campus, go to the Student Senate meeting. People would be surprised if they really knew how empowered we could be if we used our voices." 

Sonia'18 Politics major Hometown: Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

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“My brother was born severely jaundiced and needed an immediate blood transfusion. My dad had to find two donors on the street. I remember as a child watching my father run into the streets of a rural town in Myanmar looking for donors. The donors saved my brother’s life. Because of those two people, my brother is alive today.

Because I know the importance of blood drives firsthand, I am going to make it happen now here at Earlham. This past semester I was in charge of two blood drives.”

SoeYu '16,

Neuroscience and economics double major, 

Hometown: Yangon, Myanmar

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"I believe that people, for the most part, are working to be good people and do good work. When we're not, we've simply gotten sidetracked or have been misled in a direction that is not right for us. When people figure out why their lives matter, they learn how they can make their experiences matter for someone else. Deep down I think everyone has a desire to make a positive impact on the world." 

TiQi  '16 

Major: Sociology/Anthropology 

Hometown:Turlock, California

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"Another student did my hair for me. It took 20 hours. I can leave it in for a few months. I like my hair braided but the hat thing is something I just decided on yesterday. A lot of people like the hat so I’ll probably keep wearing it, I don’t know." 

Chania, ’18 Bio Chemistry Hometown: Dallas, Texas

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"I’m knitting a prayer shawl.The idea of it is that, while you’re knitting it, you put in happy thoughts or prayers. So in some ways it’s kind of meditative. Just good wishes and safety and things like that and then you give it to someone who’s in need of it and those good wishes kind of rub off onto them. It’s sort of comforting I guess. While I'm knitting I reflect on what’s been happening and think about ways that could make situations better or just sort of change them in a positive manner. I sort of hope that thought and problem-solving can go into it so that when someone does wear it, they'll be able to sort of learn from my mistakes and how I didn’t know what to do at the time so they would be able to figure out what to do with any troubles they’d been having." 

Annikka, First Year  Undeclared/probable Peace and Global Studies major  Hometown:Bemidji, MN

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"If I were to loose one of my senses, I would pick touch. I think other senses, in terms of seeing and listening are very crucial to me. Sometimes I close my eyes and listen and I feel something nice. And sure touch is great but when you travel and you want to see it and be able to listen. Being able to visualize helps me to learn and to be inspired to do things, so mostly I love seeing."

Sokhna, '15

Economics and International Study

Hometown: Cambodia

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I think the most life changing decision I've made so far is when I graduated from United World College (UWC) in Swaziland, South Africa. We're not fortunate enough to be recruited or visit colleges and look around. You read the websites and you get to talk with former students that attended those colleges. I received scholarships to six other schools in America besides Earlham. It was a decision I was really scared about in the sense that I didn't really know where I was going but with hopes that what I put into this is what I will get back out of it. And asking myself am I willing to put as much in it as I can to make the best out of whats going to be given to me at Earlham? It has been life changing in the sense that I'm very happy that I choose to do that and that I've grown a lot more than I thought I would ever, and Earlham is consistently making me do self-reflections about my academic performance, my commitment to athletics, and my contribution to the community I live in here in America, and back home as well. 

The decision of wanting to be at Earlham, not knowing anybody, not knowing what I'm getting into, but yet being able to change the unknowns into the most fun and life changing experience…its been the hardest decision I had to make. 

Where to go from here? I guess I'll have to make another big life-changing decision. At Earlham you learn one thing, the moment you feel content is when you stop growing and thats when the excitement slows down. I'm comfortable. I've taken the challenge of being here four years but then the question is what's next, and you get excited because you have tackled this big one (you think) but then there's another one coming up. So I'm battling the decision between going to graduate school in Europe (hopefully Finland) or getting out of my comfort zone (what Earlham has been for me for the past four years) and starting a job with the sport management industry. One way or another one of the two will work out." 

Betelihem (Betty) '15 Business and Non-profit major and Economics minor Hometown: Addisababa, Ethopia 

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"I have to keep reminding myself that I need to take time for myself and not focus on other people and not pay more attention to other people’s emotions than my own and other people’s needs."

Katherine Simon, senior

Peace and Global Studies major

Hometown: Philly

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"I feel more open and free about myself. Most people you ask are going to have had a shitty experience in high school and I was one of those people and so getting away to something new, I feel better about myself and more positive about myself and who I am and I’m not trying to be something that I’m not."

Regan, sophomore 

Environmental Studies major, Economics minor

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

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The root word of technology 'techne' means 'craft' or 'art' in ancient greek.  A recent piece or performance that has inspired me is What do plants sound like? by Mileece who is an experience designer & sonic artist from LA. In this specific piece Mileece converts the infrasonic sounds of plants into an audible sound experience through some code and hardware she designed. 

She has attached conductive touch sensors to the plants and during her performance at MoMa she walks around all of the rigged up potted plants and intentionally touches specific ones (each plant has a different tone) and through this creates a harmonic composition of sounds, that is in fact coming from living plants. 

I really am fascinated by this piece because of the synthesis of art, performance, sound composition, interactive experience, ecology, and technology. 

Mileece is challenging and re-examining many different institutions and industries through her piece. She challenges the capitalist tech industry and culture in utilizing technology in a way that doesn't have to be esoteric or "functional" - it can be creative, simple, and doesn't always have to be consumed, it can be tinkered with . She challenges the art world through her use of alternative and atypical mediums, such as plants as sound. Ultimately I think what she is challenging is the "conventional", and I am all for that. 

This has impacted my own creations by inspiring me to do my computer science senior project on something similar that challenges conventions and misconceptions of technology, perhaps using ecology as a medium. 

Sadie Coughlin-Prego '16

Hometown- Madison, WI

Computer Science

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