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Princeton Preview was a warm day. It was the first day I experienced the harsh New Jersey humidity. As I hiked up from Ivy Lane to Prospect Avenue to feast my eyes upon Princeton’s famous eating clubs, I felt the humid air linger on my skin. However, I didn’t let it stop me from climbing up the steep path to Prospect. As I peered down the street of illustrious eating clubs, I immediately became intimidated by Colonial’s beautiful, tall columns. The eleven clubs’ officers were offering tours to prospective students. As other students walked past me toward Colonial’s entrance, I mustered up the courage to check it out too. I took a deep breath and stepped onto Colonial’s lawn.
Upon walking up to the entrance and joining a crowd of pre-frosh, I noticed a few students sitting in lawn chairs with sunglasses and drinks in hand, simply enjoying the day. Their relaxed demeanor was completely contrary to the typical stressed Princeton students I imagined. As the president of Colonial introduced himself, he explained that the students were seniors celebrating being done with their theses. Little did I know that four years later, almost to the day, I would be celebrating being done with my thesis too, just in a completely different way.
Summer 2019
Growing up in a duality of cultures, and in pursuit of incorporating each of my areas of study, I was inspired to write a cultural comparative analysis for my Senior Thesis. As a pre-medical student, I researched how culture, through medical schools, affects the biases of medical students and faculty members, ultimately impacting the experiences of students and faculty and the health of patients. I received a generous amount of Thesis funding to interview doctors, residents, and medical school deans and directors in New York City and Guadalajara over the summer of 2019. In completing my Thesis research, I accomplished a life-long goal of mine: to visit the city of my birth as well as the small town where my grandparents are originally from. Thus, my Thesis research was not only an academic achievement but a personal experience I will never forget!
Fall 2019
My department (the Anthropology department) assigns students to a faculty advisor they deem fit. Thus, at the beginning of the fall semester I met my Senior Thesis advisor for the first time and we decided on a good timeline. My advisor seemed laid back and I liked that. I had heard horror stories of some students having to meet with their advisor once a week or having crazy deadlines. I had prayed for a good advisor, and it seems that my prayer had been answered. In December, I turned in my first chapter. It had been difficult to carve out time in my busy schedule with four courses and many extracurriculars, but I did it. I couldn’t wait for spring semester when I would be taking only two classes and have plenty of time for thesis writing.
Spring 2020
In February, I turned in another chapter. Things were looking good as I approached my April 13th deadline. I would write my last chapter during Spring Break and attend a Thesis Bootcamp on campus for support and encouragement. I would have an entire month post-thesis before finals to enjoy taking only two courses and experiencing Princeton like I had never done before.
Then COVID-19 hit, and we were sent home. Packing my dorm and moving out by myself took up valuable time I had designated for writing my thesis. After getting home, I couldn’t bring myself to start writing my final chapter. I was completely distraught and the shock of having my senior year cut short had left me with a crippling case of writer’s block.
Post Thesis Life
Fortunately, the anthropology department extended our deadline by two weeks. I was thrilled but I had to focus. Through Zoom study sessions and Princeton's online library, I was able to complete my 104-page thesis on time! I celebrated with a family Zoom session. As I welcomed everyone virtually and thanked them for coming (again, virtually), the image of those students sitting outside of Colonial came to mind. I choked up. That was supposed to be me! I was supposed to be chilling on Cap and Gown’s patio without a care in the world, finally able to fully enjoy the campus that had inundated me in homework and studying for almost four years. Suddenly, I didn’t mind the humidity; I sort of missed it. I took a sip of my celebratory Bellini and continued delivering my speech on Zoom.
A couple weeks after turning in my thesis, I received a superb grade for my work! While writing my Thesis was a unique experience, it was a rewarding one to say the least. I’m proud to have it available on Princeton’s Thesis Database alongside other theses written by famous Princeton alumni like Former First Lady Michelle Obama and Supreme Court Judge Sonya Sotomayor. Of course, I had imagined taking photos outside Nassau Hall with my beautiful, bound thesis like I had seen past seniors do but in this time of mass sadness and chaos, I was just happy to finish my thesis strong, receive a grade I was content with, and still get it bound! Taking photos at a different college campus was not what I anticipated but during this pandemic, I’m learning to dance in the rain instead of waiting for the storm to pass.
