Student Leadership Dinner!

This Thursday was the annual Student Leadership Dinner hosted by the Student Government Association and the College Activities Office. Complete with fancy dinner, the college song, and the awarding of mysterious “Bear Pins,” the evening was amazingly Barnard (and yes, Barnard is an adjective. Judith Shapiro used it to describe the “Athena is my Homegirl” shirts). I was incredibly honored to be one of the over 150 Barnard students recognized during the evening, and was astonished by the accomplishments of my friends and colleagues.

I was particularly awed by the 20 recipients of the aforementioned Bear Pin. I have no idea what these pins are or what they look like, but I want one. I also have no idea of how to get one, since the reading of the resumes of their recipients was one of the most overwhelming experiences of my life. I know many of the Seniors honored with the pin, but I had no idea they were able to juggle so many activities so successfully. 20 is a small fraction of the over 500 seniors in total, but to some extent every Barnard student should be recognized for her multi-tasking and time-management skills. Each of my colleagues honored that night participates in multiple student activities– many while maintaining full time employment on or off campus– and all managed to contribute so meaningfully to college life that multiple people nominated them for their leadership skills. Because that’s what Barnard is about, giving yourself to the College and having the College give you something right back.

I don’t know how to get a Bear Pin or why I was specifically nominated or selected for this award, but I can tell you that putting time and effort into Barnard College is one of the most rewarding things about being a student here. Because it doesn’t matter if you’re in Smart Women Lead (awesome!) or Taal dance group (also awesome!), participating in college life enriches beyond measure your life while in college.