Smithie Leigh

-----------------------------------------------------ARCHIVED SMITH BY SMITHIES BLOG ------------------------------------------------- Hawai‘i → Smith College 2018 • Sociology • ES&P • Wilson House President • Ukulele Club • Gold Key Tour Guide • Senior Interviewer • Alumnae Student Ambassador • SC Tennis Team • Instagram: @ljohnnyy & @smithcollege

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The Hot Chocolate Run to Benefit Safe Passage

Last weekend I ran in Safe Passage’s Annual Hot Chocolate Run. Safe Passage is an organization in Northampton dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence. You can read about my time volunteering at Safe Passage here. Every year, Safe Passage hosts this annual 5k as a fundraiser, and it’s wildly successful. This year, they raised over $600,000! Despite my affiliation with the organization, it was my first year running the race, and I haven’t run a 5k race since cross country in high school! I was nervous, but my running class was all doing it as our final culminating assignment, so I went along with it. It was super fun to run with my friends and running teachers, who were so encouraging and supportive, especially on the biggest hill where I just wanted to stop and lie down! At the end of the race, everyone gets a mug and hot chocolate. It was overall a very a positive experience, and I was happy to support such a great organization. 

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My 7th Semester Classes

I am LOVING my classes this semester! Thanks to Smith’s open curriculum, I’m taking classes that I care a lot about, and it’s great to be with students who want to be there, and are excited to be learning the material. I love the classes and options here so much that I’m actually taking 22 credits this semester (recommended is 16 credits), but it’s been going fine because I just feel so passionate about what I’m learning! Here’s what my semester looks like: 

CHINESE (5 credits) - it’s my third semester taking intensive Chinese here at Smith. It’s extremely challenging, with a quiz every day, and an oral presentation and lesson test every week, but it’s also so rewarding. I love my teachers and we meet every day at 8am, so I’ve also become good friends with my classmates. 

RUNNING (1 credit) - I decided to take a 1-credit P.E. running class for fun! Tomorrow, we will be running the Hot Chocolate 5K run downtown as our class culmination. 

SEX & GENDER IN AMERICAN SOCIETY (4 credits) - This is my last Sociology elective to fulfill the major requirement here. It’s been so cool to learn about sex and gender in the Smith setting, where we all already have a common understanding of gender inequality. We’ve also read some amazing material, my favorite being Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist. 

SPECIAL STUDIES (4 credits) - I’m doing an independent special studies with my friend Rebecca and our professor Kelly Anderson. We both took an oral history class with her last year, and loved it, so she agreed to be our advisor/faculty mentor for the project! Our project is called “The Transnational Adoptee Oral History Project.” We have conducted eight oral histories of transnational and transracial adoptees at Smith College, and are in the midst of transcribing them and preparing to donate the collection to the Sophia Smith Archives Collection. 

WOMEN’S HEALTH IN INDIA (4 credits) - My six-person seminar where we meet once a week to learn about and discuss medical issues facing women in India. On December 27th, we depart for Varanasi, India, where we will spend a month studying Women’s Health at the Central University for Tibetan Studies. 

BUSINESS OF CULTURE (4 credits) - I’m taking my senior sociology seminar at Mount Holyoke College. It’s been such a positive experience! I’m really enjoying the class, where we talk about the sociological aspects of different markets and industries including the NYC art scene, the modeling industry and publishing industry. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know new students off campus, and our professor is great. I’m currently writing my final research paper on the feminist implications of the Dove Real Beauty campaign. It’s also really easy to get to Mount Holyoke, even though I don’t have a car. There’s a free Smith-Mount Holyoke shuttle that takes about thirty minutes and drops you off right in time for class to start and picks you up about ten minutes after.

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Snowflake Study Break

Every Wednesday, my house holds a study break around 9pm where different housemates host fun events. This year, past study breaks have included a silent dance party, pumpkin carving, cookie baking, foosball and pingpong, and many more.. It’s a great way to take a break in the middle of the week from Smith’s rigorous academics. 

Last Wednesday, I hosted my favorite study break of the year!! Snowflake making!!! I brought down my speaker, played some holiday music (and Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, P!nk, and Mama Mia, some house faves...) And we made paper snowflakes! I pride myself on being a snowflake artist and lover. I taught my housemates how to make a variety of snowflakes including: tulips, birds, ballerinas, trees, liberty bells, cats, and snow people. 

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Darry and the Mum Show

On Friday, my boss Darry and I went to the annual Smith College Fall Chrysanthemum Show. The mum show is one of my favorite Smith traditions. The Botanic Garden trucks in (and grows) thousands of brightly colored beautiful chrysanthemums! It’s such a treat for the eyes. 

Darry is my boss at the Office of College Relations. She’s a great boss! At Smith, students can get on-campus jobs. My on-campus job is running the @smithcollege instagram. Please check out the feed and give us a follow! https://www.instagram.com/smithcollege/?hl=en.  Together, Darry and I come up with a photo and a caption every day to keep our 10k + followers happy and engaged with Smith material. My favorite part of the job is that it’s forced me to constantly be on the lookout for gorgeous scenery at Smith, giving me a new appreciation for the beauty of our campus. Please enjoy some mum show pics below. 

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Friday Night at Smith: Wilson House Pizza Party Movie Night

Last night, our fabulous HSECS (House Social Event Coordinators) planned an excellent event! Wilson House won a pizza party earlier in the year for having the most students from a house go to a sporting event, so last night we decided to cash in on it. We had a pizza party pajama movie night! At 10pm, we gathered in the living room and enjoyed 10 fresh pizzas from Filos (my fave restaurant in Noho), and watched Wonder Woman! We borrowed a projector from the Smith Center for Media Production, so we were able to have an epic showing of Wonder Woman blown up across the entire wall. And let me just add -- watching Wonder Woman with a Smith audience is pretty special. The best quote of the movie: “When it comes to procreation, men are essential, but for pleasure, not necessary” had us all cheering, clapping, and snapping. 

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Smith Superfan!

I am a super Smith Superfan. I absolutely love watching our sports teams compete, and I try to go to as many games as possible! Luckily, there are many opportunities for spectatorship. I also love going to games with my friends (shoutout to Karen K, Tess, Da Yeon, Becky, and Rachel!) This weekend, I got to watch basketball and swimming/diving. In the fall, I also enjoy watching soccer, field hockey, and tennis. I always bring my trusty Smith foam finger too :) Go Smith Pioneers!

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Dogs of Smith College

Some cuties I’ve seen around campus this week! If you’re a dog lover like me, you might be worried about leaving your pup at home while you’re at college. Don’t worry. There are dogs everywhere - on the trails behind campus, in the quad, outside the Campus Center, on the athletics fields... . I even have friends who get paid to walk community member’s dogs! 

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My Response to the 2017 Smith Supplement Essay:

Hello! I know it’s hard core application time right now. Whether you’re applying ED1 (Nov 15 deadline) ED2 (Jan 1) or Regular (Jan 15), maybe you’ve had a chance to take a peek at Smith’s supplement essay question. Every year, we pick a fun short supplement question to help us see you as more of a 3D person. In the past few years, questions have been “what makes you laugh?” “if your life had a theme song, what would it be?” and “what is the best gift you have ever given or received?” This year, it is “if you were to star in a movie, what would it be and why?” I want you guys to know that IT IS NOT A TRICK QUESTION! Really be true and honest, and have some fun with it! It’s only 150 words. Here’s my answer below. 

If I were to star in a movie, I would choose Legally Blonde, a childhood favorite. I remember as a young girl watching Elle Woods defy gender stereotypes, overcome adversity, and come into herself by the end of the movie – a powerful, confident lawyer. At one point in my life, I was frustrated by aspects of the movie, like how she only pursued law school to follow a boy, and was only able to crack the case because of her sorority connection and her accurate gaydar. Ultimately though, I appreciate the movie for showing a powerful female lead. I think America responds best to baby steps towards gender equality. If I were to star in the movie however, it would have to be called Legally Asian, which just doesn’t have the same ring! 

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Chinese @ Smith College 中文课在Smith大学

I started learning Chinese last year at Smith. It was the best decision I’ve ever made! Even though it’s hands down the hardest class I’ve ever taken in my life and ultimately the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced, it’s been so worth it. The Laoshis (professors) are amazing and helpful, so dedicated to helping us learn the difficult language. I’ve made my best friends through Chinese class because it’s honestly such a struggle, we bond through the pain of 8am class every day, quizzes every day, and tests and oral presentations every week. I’ve learned that I can push myself to the extremes through learning this language! Also, in addition to the hard core academics, there are so many fun side events hosted throughout the semester by the East Asian Languages department/Asian Students Association. Some of these included movie nights, Mid-Autumn festival, Asian Culture night, and my favorite -- Chinese Lunch Table!!! Every Wednesday, we meet in Chase/Duckett dining hall and grab lunch, then practice speaking Chinese in a relaxed environment. It’s a great learning supplement to our classroom learning. Please see photos from lunch table below! This lunch table was special because we were celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival, so we had moon cakes :) People reading this: If I can offer one piece of advice to you, it’s take a language at Smith College!!!! They’re so intense, yet rewarding and I am so happy I had the sense to start learning Chinese before I graduated! Okay signing off now. Tomorrow I have a Chinese exam I must study for! Wish me luck. 

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ESS class: Running Bootcamp

This semester, I took a break from the tennis team, but wanted to stay in shape, so I decided to take a running class! ESS (Exercise and Sports Studies) classes are great way to stay in shape, learn a new sport or athletic skill, and meet new friends. These classes are usually one credit and range from tennis, to fencing, rock climbing, swimming, self-defense, kung fu, and white water kayaking . Next semester I hope to take golf. This semester, I chose running because it’s something that I want to get better at, and I thought a class would be good for holding me accountable to my goal of improving. My class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, and we are required to run independently two times outside of class each week. Our classes are a mix of interval workouts, trail running, and learning about foam rolling, learning how to properly use equipment in the gym, stretching, running form, injury prevention, and other techniques to become a better runner! Our teachers for the class are two assistant graduate student coaches - Molly, the XC coach, and Dani, the soccer coach. They’re great! 

Last Wednesday, we had an intense interval workout on the track. It was almost 100 degrees but we all made it! Here are pics of evidence. In December, we will all be running the Hot Chocolate 5k! 

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SENIOR YEAR!

Hello!!! Leigh here, first post of my senior year!!! It’s been some time since my last blog post, so I want to reintroduce myself. I’m Leigh Johnston (she/her pronouns) and I am a senior at Smith. Lol below is a pic of me that I stole from smith.edu. 

I’m studying Sociology here, but thanks to Smith’s open curriculum, I’ve also taken classes in a broad range of departments, including Biology, French, Chinese, Study of Women & Gender, Anthropology, Exercise & Sports Studies, Chemistry, Environmental Science & Policy, Statistics, Music (violin), Archives... and more! I’m currently taking a a Sociology seminar at Mount Holyoke, and doing an oral history special studies with a professor for the Archives department. 

I’ve been involved in a lot of activities outside of the classroom here. I live in Wilson House, where I am very active in the house council as House President (last year I was Vice President, and the year before Head of New Students). I work at the Admissions Office. I’ve been a tour guide since my first year, this year, I am a Senior Interviewer, and for the previous two years, I was a Multicultural Recruitment Intern. I’ve also been a member of the varsity tennis team, Orchestra (violin), and Ukulele club. I am a Student Ambassador with the Alumnae House (I love love love the alumnae network, I could write posts and posts about it). I also run the @smithcollege Instagram, so go take a peek at our page! https://www.instagram.com/smithcollege/?hl=en

As you can tell, I’ve tried a lot of things here. If you have any questions about any of the above, don’t hesitate to ask me a question! I’ll be posting weekly, so I hope you enjoy following along! 

- Leigh 

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Hi! I'm thinking about applying to Smith ED, but my parents are very worried about not receiving enough financial aid and being locked in. Is there anyway to know how much aid I'll receive, or is there a way to get out of it if i can't afford it?

Hi there, you can still apply ED! I believe If Smith doesn’t provide an aid package that works with your family, you can appeal/ask for more/back out. It’s the only reason you’d be able to back out for ED. Please confirm this with the college though before making this big decision! I’m like 99% sure this is right! So glad to hear you are interested in applying! 

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I'm in the incoming class of 2021 and was wondering if Smith provided instruments for students who don't have their own? This may be a silly question but I just want to make sure because I can't afford my own horn 😭

Hi there, Welcome! I'm not positive about this - I think it might depend on the instrument. I had a friend who borrowed a clarinet. I would reach out to the orchestra director, Jonathan Hirsch: [email protected]. See you in the fall!

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Harmony Extravaganza

Thursdays are the best nights!! Thursdays, our Smith Student Events Committee (SEC) hosts Jittery’s Live!, which are free concerts for students. This past Thursday, I was in heaven because the BEST BAND EVER CAME!!! I am a huge Ingrid Michaelson fan (who isn’t?!) and I have been to a few of her live concerts since coming to Smith. She has really awesome band members, who have actually come together and made their own little band and went on tour! Hannah, Allie, and Bess make the most beautiful music. Look up Allie, Hannah, and Bess on spotify, itunes, instagram, youtube, etc!!! They’re so great! I sat in the front row. It was so magical and a wonderful way to conclude the school week. As you can see in the photos below, it is a very intimate concert setting.

 The Smith SEC is always bringing in really cool events. Two of my other favorite bands they’ve brought in were Julia Nunes and Rachel Platten (before she got super famous!) SEC also hosts many other events besides Jittery’s.... like next month they’re bringing Laverne Cox to give a talk! They also host movie nights every Friday and Saturday night. See a list of the spring schedule here: https://www.smith.edu/ose/Website%20Version%20Spring%202017%20SEC%20Events%20-%20Sheet1%20(2).pdf

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The Smith College Lazarus Center (our career development office) hosted a Technology and Life Sciences Career fair last week (YAY WOMEN IN STEM!). Dozens of companies sent recruiters to represent their companies and talk to students. It was my first career fair, and I walked out with some takeaways: 1.) dress up. 2.) print your resumé because sometimes the recruiters want them. 3.) take the free stuff that they have sitting on their tables (ex: chocolate, flash drives, tupperware shaped like toast, external phone charger). 4.) make sure you have a solid handshake, maybe even ask someone you know to practice with you in advance because you will be shaking a lot of hands. 

I am grateful that I went to the career fair! It was a little overwhelming, but cool to see all of the options and opportunities post-graduation. BTW, the Lazarus center is an EXCELLENT resource for students. I went there my first year knowing nothing, and they helped me make my first resume and cover letter, and now three years later I have established an excellent relationship with one of the advisors there. She has helped me prepare for many interviews, reviewed many applications, and helped me get all of my internships! Shoutout to Patty. 

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Tennis Team

My tennis team participated in the varsity team lip-sync battle last weekend! It was a goofy and bonding experience. Part of our routine included using our foam fingers as props. BTW, our team is selling these foam fingers as a fundraiser.... $5 per finger. LMK if you want one. 

I enjoyed this lip-sync battle. Even though it was slightly embarrassing to dance and sing in front of all of the other Smith teams, planning our routine really brought us together. If you have any questions about athletics at Smith, or tennis in particular, don’t hesitate to message me. 

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My classes this semester

Two weeks in, and I am loving my classes! I am taking: Chinese, Social Movements (sociology elective), a seminar about reading and writing ethnography (in the anthropology department), and an oral history class called Documenting Lesbian Lives. They have all been great so far!! One of my favorites is Documenting Lesbian Lives. Since it’s an oral history class, each student in the class will be picking a lesbian who is over 50 years old to interview, and then we will each be adding their life stories to the college archive collection. Did you know that Smith has the largest women’s history collection in the world? It’s so cool to think that I will have a hand in contributing to the collection! I can’t wait to do my interview :) Also, this is my first history and my first Study of Women and Gender class, and I am SO glad that I had the sense to take a class in these disciplines while I was at Smith! There’s something very special about studying women’s history at Smith College....

Learn more about the Documenting Lesbian Lives collection here: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/lives/lives-intro.html